The Normandy Saga: The Rogue Spectre
by MakoGT
Summary: The year is 2183. Humanity has been attacked by Rogue Synthetics, led by a Council Spectre gone rogue. And who shall stand against Saren Arterius? John Shepard and the crew of the Normandy. Full novelization of ME1. Male Shep x Tali Zorah. Slow burn. Rated M for language.
1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first installation of my "Normandy" Saga. The Rogue Spectre. Now, some of you are here after reading my first story of ME Andromeda, Into the Great Unknown. Some of you are new. So, welcome back to the former, and a warm welcome to the latter! I do request that those who aren't new to me do stick around till the end of this foreword, but first, an explanation for the new people: I started Into the Great Unknown as a fluke in May of 2017. A fluke that went very well, and turned into a complete novelization of Andromeda. Scott Ryder x Vetra, slow burn romance. Plenty of action, angst, adventure, fluff, etc. Plenty of small references to the trilogy and my own little "universe" for the trilogy in it, which, of course, will be reflected here. The Normandy Saga, is going to be much the same in that regard. Slow burn, action and angst and adventure and fluff, full novelization, and so on, so forth. But of course, like parts of Into the Great Unknown, it's gonna get fucking DARK. I mean, we're dealing with the Reapers for fucks sake!

Anyways, Tali romance, obviously, but the relationship won't actually begin until the ME2 story. 1st person point of view, though will occasionally change to a POV that's not Shepard. I will be staying true to the lore, as in the technology, overall story, and history. I will also add smaller… interim chapters, let's call it. As in, not from the game, but some kind of crew interaction or fun time or something of the sort. For example, in my Into the Great Unknown, that would involve a celebration at a bar, or a chapter where Scott and Vetra got stuck in an ice cave, and it was used to further build their eventual romance (no they didn't fuck in the cave). You'll see, and I promise you'll enjoy.

In case you haven't already figured it out, there's language. Sometimes, Jack levels of language. And there will be graphic depictions of violence. Further, I want to add on that there are elements of the story that have taken inspiration from another writer on this site. Calinstel. You know him as the legend who gave the Quarians a thorough culture. I will incorporate some of the Quarian words he created. I won't have a glossary at the end of every chapter, but those words will be explained in some way, shape or form. Plus, I will utilize some of his cultural ideas, like the explanation for their hood patterns.

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW! I will continue to keep my Monday and Friday upload schedule every week. Newbies, you heard that right. Two consistent uploads every week. The most I ever strayed was from some travel leaving me too tired to post that night, so it's posted the very next morning. Most chapters will tend to have over 5k words in them, though it's not unlikely that they go higher than that. Significantly higher.

FINAL INFORMATION FOR NEWCOMERS: I know, this has all been a bit haphazard and such with organization, but I promise it's just because I'm sitting here at a school computer writing down things I need you all to know as they pop into my head. Sorry, this is not the norm. Anyways, I have two very good friends who help me with editing and go over most if not all chapters before they get posted. Riverfern, and Palaven. Those two lovely ladies are just as responsible as I am for all this work. Finally, I have one last reassurance to give you. There aren't self inserts, there aren't crossovers here, not even actual OC's. There may be the occasional character who I come up with to fit a relatively minor role, and pop over to a name generator, and there may be a very rare instance of a cameo from an editor or friend, that is the extent. I love Mass Effect, and Mass Effect, is exactly what this is going to be. I hope you enjoy!


	2. Son of a Shepard

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I named the prelude after Ed, Edd, N' Eddy. Deal with it.**

"Where is she?" I slammed my hands on the desk in front of me. It was not in anger, but rather, that of a man whose wife had gone into labor. "Where's Hannah?"

"Adam Shepard?" the Doctor clarified. I nodded. "This way, sir," he led me down the hospital halls. I was sweating. The last two months, Hannah had been on Maternity leave back on Earth. I did what I could to remain nearby, in Sol, if I could, but as a man enlisted in the Alliance as we're establishing colonies through those Mass Relays, they want people checking to make sure it's safe. We haven't found anyone yet, but we'll be damned if we're not prepared if they're hostile.

Hannah and I were both from Earth, originally. American, though we probably would never have met had we not signed up for the Alliance. She was from the Chicago Mega-city, while I grew up in San Diego. It hadn't seen that much expansion, Los Angeles and San Francisco were getting the Mega-city treatment, but it would only be a few more decades until they finally merged, and San Diego with it.

We met after boot camp. The first ship we got posted on. The Guiding light. Small frigate, old, outdated, decommissioned by now, what with all the new advancements those eggheads are cooking up day after day from the Mars Archives. We hit it off, from comrades, to friends, to lovers, to husband and wife. Lucky that the Alliance only recently adopted rules against crew fraternization. Put us on different ships now, but we can still talk in free-time.

As for why we signed up with the Alliance? Well, there's an element of wanting to see the Galaxy we had just been opened up to, sure, but both of us have things back home that we're happier leaving behind. Mostly just sorry excuses for family that we were fed up with and needed to get away from. It taught me one thing, though.

I would take everything my own parents had ever done, and use it all as a lesson. I would be the best father for my child I could possibly be. I would be disciplinary, but at the same time, empathetic. I would be truthful, but encouraging. And most of all, I would be supportive.

Finally, the doctor led me into the room where Hannah was in labor. She had already been at it two hours. It's a good thing we were already talking when it started, else it may have taken much longer for me to catch a shuttle heading to Earth. And a damn good thing my CO, David Edward Anderson, was one of my best friends.

"Adam," Hannah panted as she screamed, her doctor, Karin Chakwas was there encouraging her, telling her to just keep on going. Keep pushing. I ran to her side and quickly gave her my hand. Jesus, that woman has a grip. A nurse quickly gave me a run-down of the situation. So far, nothing had gone wrong, standard procedure. That's good. Plus, the baby's head was starting to come out. I glanced down, and, well, yeah. That's a head alright. Looks like a bloody tan egg coming out of a roast beef salad and- I gagged, throwing up in my mouth a little from that train of thought. I shook the thoughts clear and just focused on Hannah's face. Her long brown hair, soft cheeks, her brown eyes.

I continued just being there for her. Until the end. Finally, while still awake, Hannah collapsed down on the bed as the wailing of a baby filled our ears. Hannah began to smile, and it was infectious.

"It's a boy!" the Chakwas proclaimed. We had wanted to keep it a surprise, and now, my smile grew wider. It would have done the same had it been a girl, sure, but that's just parenthood. A father tends to dream of a son to do everything they did with their father. Though, in my case, that's the opportunity to do everything _right._

The nurse wrapped my son in a blanket, then handed my son to my wife, and she cradled him in her arms, gently rocking him. He began to calm, less crying. Hannah and I began to cry, our smiles as wide as can be. "Does he have a name?" the nurse questioned. Hannah nodded.

"John. John Shepard." The nurse wrote it down as the birth certificate was being filled out. John Shepard. My son. Born April 11th, 2154.

* * *

I stepped out of the shuttle, rifle in hand. To my side, my second, Corporal Toombs. He, myself, and forty-nine other Marines, in multiple shuttles, are here to investigate a missing group of pioneers. And given recent tensions with the Batarians, it's not unreasonable to send so many troops to the backwater that is Akuze.

"Toombs, take point," I ordered. Toombs nodded, and led the others to the distress beacon we had detected, a marker showing on the HUD of our helmets. helmet. Given that I was the only one here with any N rank, even though it was just N2, that still places me at a cut above, hence why I'm the Sergeant of these soldiers. Someday, I'll reach N7. I'm sure.

My dad's best friend, a man like an uncle to me, and the commanding officer of the ship I'm stationed on, Anderson, is one. He's given me pointers, and is just waiting for me to do the one thing that will allow him to write up an N7 commendation for me. The only way for anyone to receive N7 training.

"Sir, I see pre-fabs," Toombs called out. I immediately stepped to his side. I saw it. That was where the pioneers were setting up a Colony. And where the distress beacon is. We were still several dozen yards outside its boundaries, nothing but an open field of sand between us and the Pre-fabs. But even from here, it looked like a ghost town. I gestured for the platoon to split. Approach from another angle, just in case. Everyone had weapons ready as we began an approach. I didn't like this. I had a bad feeling. That gut feeling. I felt my stomach rumble and raised a brow. I had eaten an MRE on the way down, I shouldn't be-

Another rumble. Stronger, and definitely not from my stomach.

"The hell?" Toombs murmured, glancing at the ground as the sand was shifting. I looked out at the other team, they had stopped, looking over the ground.

Then their lead was gone. Devoured by a giant worm that had shot from the ground below. I heard the screams of the others even across this distance, and the screams of those behind me. Cursing out.

" _Thresher nest! Get to the pre-fabs_!" I shouted the order and we began sprinting. The others that had been attacked first were shooting at the Thresher maw, trying to bring it down. Damn it, they should know that wouldn't work!

I cursed internally as I saw the Thresher spit a glob of acid, several men went down, dissolving. Another bursted from the sand behind them, trapping them between two Threshers. Damn it! Fuck! More screams from behind, more threshers, this time my own squad was being attacked. Men vanishing in plumes of sand, developed by acid, or simply devoured by a maw shooting out of the sand. I know each of these men and women… personally… I counted many of them as friends. Fuck. We were getting close to the pre-fabs, those would be our best chance. Hide there, hold out from there, wait for pickup.

I felt the ground rumble beneath my feet, and dove to the side. A giant brown stalk shot up just where I had been standing as I clambered back to my feet. The Thresher screeched as it and the others attacked more of my men.

"Don't stop! Keep running!" I shouted. I was still at the head of the pack, so to speak. There were barely a dozen of us that I could see. My legs were burning, my lungs starting to ache, but discomfort was not a concern right now. Only survival.

Finally, I made it within the colony boundaries, glancing back before I ran into a prefab. Still saw over a dozen Threshers, and only half a dozen of my own men. _Fuck_! Make that four. And another Thresher. I cursed again, sweating, and waved for them to follow me into a pre-fab. It was dark and dusty, nothing inside. Hopefully, that should hide us. As the last of us ran in, a private by the name of Sam ran in, another glob of acid was spit, coating his back entirely as he fell to the floor, screaming. As the need to just run was wearing off, terror was taking its place. Reinforced as I watched Sam continue to scream as he… melted. The screaming stopped, but the acid didn't. Toombs, another private by the name of Gregory, stared in horror. The acid was melting through the floor now. I noticed it was getting quiet outside.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm not staying here. I'm not fucking doing it. It's game over man! Game over!" Toombs panicked. His panic was contagious, my breathing, which was just beginning to slow, was on the rise again. And Gregory was just as much of a mess. I imagine we'd all be so much worse off if our helmets weren't preventing us from smelling the pile of muck that is now Sam. But my training still had a hold of me. Partially, if nothing else.

"We need to stay here and wait for… wait for pickup," I tried to reassure. "We go out there again, we're dead."

"You think these walls will protect us?" Toombs exclaimed, punching the wall and leaving a dent to make his point. "We need to fucking run man, we need to get out of here! Gregory, come on!"

"I am ordering you both to stay here! I won't let anyone else die on me!" I shouted.

"Then feel free to court martial me," Toombs retorted, and burst out the door. Gregory, glanced between the door and me two times. He bolted. I cursed inwardly again. I sent off the coded distress, explaining the situation so that hopefully, the evac team won't make the same mistakes.

Mistakes that get fifty men killed. As I sat there in the dark, the acid no longer sizzling, I was curled up in a corner, and my mind kept going back. To Sam, to Gregory, to Toombs, to every one of the men and women I knew, who I led, that were now dead. And, honestly, I probably will be too. I shouldn't have split us up. I shouldn't have ordered us to investigate the ghost town. Should have called in for reinforcements, that something wasn't right. You never cross open terrain on these remote worlds! Goddamnit!

It's all my fault. When the evac team finally arrived, they found one lone survivor. Curled up into a corner. Crying. Wishing he could take the place of any single one of the dead.

* * *

The Alliance put me on immediate medical and psychological leave. Mom was unable to get leave, though called often. Dad, however, had some saved up, and immediately took it to try and put his son back together again. We were on Elysium, dad figured its serenity and landscapes could help me. Yet here I am, at the bar, staring at a glass of liquor. Dad sat beside me. His heart was broken for me. He was a soldier. Lost an entire squad himself during First Contact. And yet every time he hears people demand more reparations, trying to harass other Turians, he's one of the first to tell them to fuck off.

Well, I was outsmarted by a bunch of fucking worms. And it cost my entire team their lives.

"Son… I know you want to just forget. That the bottle will just take it all away," dad murmured. "But you know just as well as I do, it just keeps coming back. And it gets worse and worse each time," he had his hand on my shoulder. I glanced up at him. His dark hair, starting to grey. His deep blue eyes, like mine. His square, ridged face. I saw such sadness in his features. That just made me regret making him feel that way.

"I still see Sam melting. Hear him screaming," I muttered, "Am I just supposed to keep fucking remembering that?"

"No. No you're not. I know what I'm about to say comes from the first page of the book, but it's a simple way to describe something abstract," Dad began. "You learn to put it behind you. You'll never forget Akuze. I won't lie to you. But what I did, what you need to do, is put it behind you. That it happened, that it's done, that there's nothing you can do about it. It makes it easier, you see the images less and less. Hear them less and less," Dad was staring off, likely either remembering himself back then, or the event itself on Shanxi.

"How?" I asked. I was lucky enough to know I could talk to my parents this way. They had told me about their own pasts and problems often enough. I knew they weren't strangers to anything of this sort. Dad let out a huff of air as he thought.

"I was lucky that I had you and your mother to come home to. You might recall I was a bit clingy after the war," he chuckled lightly, and it managed to get a smirk out of me. "...Have you talked with the families?" Ah, a question that would be part of his answer.

"I was the one who sent the messages… each and every one," I murmured. Dad sighed. I didn't need to hear him say anything to know his thoughts. He didn't disagree with me doing that. He did the same after Shanxi. It's a burden that one person shouldn't bear, but it's also one that they feel they need to.

"Any replies?"

"A few. Short, mostly just thanking me for telling them, that's it. They blame me, they just don't want to say it…" Dad shook his head.

"No, they're wrecked with grief and could barely write those letters at all. You shouldn't blame yourself, John! Hell, David shouldn't be blaming himself either!"

"What?" I questioned, confused. Why would Anderson be blaming himself?

"He thinks it's his fault. Ordering you all to head down and investigate. Rather than a scout shuttle to do a fly by over the colony! He blames himself for the state you're in!"

"I-" I began. Dad cut me off.

"You were following orders. Trying to find out why a bunch of civilians had disappeared! For all you knew, the colony was flooded with Batarians lying in wait. Instead, it turned out to be the largest thresher maw nest ever reported outside of goddamn Tuchanka itself! John, if it was just the one Thresher, which is what you'd normally find in just a Thresher den, you and your squad could have handled it. There'd be some losses, but the Maw would be dead. You know why I'm so certain that you are not in any fault in the slightest, son?" Dad questioned rhetorically. His voice had been harsh, but I knew the intent was the shock factor. To really hit it up. "I got this gut feeling that someone _planned_ it. Probably the damn Batarians." Despite my shock, I still conveyed a look of disbelief. Dad continued to hammer it home. "Like I said, largest Thresher nest outside of their own home world, Tuchanka. Even there, a nest that large is as rare as a healthy Salarian on Tuchanka." I looked down again. I wasn't quite so sure about it being set up, but the shock factor had an effect. I was thinking about it. I wasn't… fine. Not by any stretch, but I wasn't blaming myself. Not at the moment, at any rate. Still, I suspect I'll see ghosts one way or the other tonight. Dad stood from the barstool, hand on my shoulder, a gentle pull towards the door.

"Come on, let's get out of here." We returned to our hotel, but instead of going back to the room, we went to the roof. Did a bit of star watching. Elysium may be one of the biggest and grandest of Human colonies, but our hotel is still on the relative outskirts, and then high enough so that the light pollution didn't do much to the night sky. We could even make out the Milky Way, streaming across the night sky. It was… calming. Just how small everything is.

"I love you, Son. You'll get through this. You're a Shepard," dad encouraged quietly. I just let out a deep breath.

"You too, dad." We sat there, watching the sky a while longer. Before I saw something strange. A large series of bright red streaks in the sky, descending rapidly in the distance. "The hell? Meteor shower?" Dad shook his head.

"No… no they're too close together, too uniform. Those are ships. And lots of them." Alarms started to blare. Dad and I recognized them. The invasion alarms. Fuck! "Armory! Go!"

This was a hotel primarily for off duty Alliance Personnel. That essentially means that it's an unofficial secondary garrison in the event of invasion. There's an armory. Not as well stocked as the main military base but stocked. As we were in the elevator back on the way down, the intercom alert was repeating, explaining known information. A coalition of Terminus criminal bands. Many ships with markings linked to known Batarian Hegemony backed gangs. Troop transports were landing a few kilometers away from the colony, just out of range for our AA guns. Armed ships were inbound for bombardment. The Alliance had been alerted, and a fleet was en-route. Though the small naval force stationed here, mostly corvettes, was taken by surprise and destroyed already. Shit.

"Fucking pirate slaver scum," Dad snarled. My mind crept to the large civilian population here. Terra Nova is the only other colony that competes with Elysium in terms of population. And both planets are beaten by Earth itself. If they get a hold of the city… all those people will either die now, or die years later after living in agony as a slave.

When we got to the armory, we were quickly issued with rifles, basic combat armor, and basic shields. Not something for a sustained firefight, but should help with a stray bullet. The ground started to shake, the bombardment had begun. We got patched into the comms. Some civilians had been issued weapons, having volunteered as a militia. Bolsters our numbers a bit, but still untrained. Still, one of the city's fortifications was still undermanned. We need to hold all of them until reinforcements arrive or this gets real ugly, real fast. Dad and I caught an armored transport heading to help bolster those defenses. They didn't turn down the support. Given the bombardment, this was the only relatively safe way to cross the city. The APC shook almost constantly, occasionally, there was rubble that collapsed on top of it, rocking it further, but not doing any real damage. I peered outside, using some of the external cameras used to keep enemy forces from sneaking up on the vehicle.

There were already bodies. Either having fallen from a building, or killed by an explosion. Some bodies were smaller than others, often grouped with a pair of larger bodies. I even saw one child on the ground trying to shake one body awake, crying. I almost burst out of the transport then and there, but I saw another pair of marines run for the child just as we turned the corner. Damn it…

"Not one more, John. Not one more," Dad whispered. I just gave him a nod. Finally, the transport stopped, and its doors opened.

Everyone sped out and reported to a local commander for placements. Given my training, it was deemed I was needed at one of the gun emplacements. Manning a turret. Rapid fire, shooting out large, powerful shots. Smaller ships often use these turrets as a means to chew through kinetic barriers, but they're just as effective at mowing down a charging enemy line. As for dad, he'd be covering me. Providing some smaller fire for anyone who gets close or manages to scale the wall up to me. I could see the hostiles in the distance, closing in. They weren't in range yet, but they were there. And close.

"What are you expecting? Vehicles? Krogan?" I asked dad.

"Not any vehicles, no, I don't think so. The Terminus bands rarely bother with them, tend to stick to ship combat or boarding more often," Dad mused. "They'll definitely be some Krogan, though they're not as common a commodity as you may think. They're either bounty hunters, or stick with their own Krogan gangs. I'm suspecting more of a mix of Turians, Batarians, Humans, maybe some Asari scattered about. With some kind of mix of most else." I nodded, and put a finger up to my comms.

"Sir, we got an ETA on Alliance reinforcements?" I questioned.

"Rear Admiral Kahoku should arrive with over a third of the Fifth Fleet in four hours. Not one of our fortifications can fall. Buy us time," the Commander answered.

"Understood sir."

* * *

They had spent the first hour with probing attacks across the city. Most of them simultaneous. Trying to test our defenses, find where we were weakest. Given that I could see more and more arriving to our side, they had determined that we were it.

People were getting tense, nervous. Especially militia. The bombardment had been continuing the whole time, but focused mostly on the AA guns. Given most of the Pirate's ships were older and more outdated models, it wasn't as easy for them as if the roles had been reversed. Still, they were slowly, but steadily gaining control of the skies. These fortifications would take more fire soon enough.

"Open fire! Open fire!" The Commander shouted over comms. The line was charging. Myself and the other gunners focused on their vanguard, while marksman would try to pick off anyone looking particularly mean. My heart was pounding as the gun fired and fired, dad helping load in a new ammo block when the turret inevitably ran out. It was tricky, needing to keep up sustained fire, yet not let the gun overheat.

Another hour passed as they continued testing pushes. Narrowing down exactly where to make their sprint across the open field. Bodies were already lining the ground, blood seeping into the soil. At least our own had only taken very minor losses. For now.

I saw a new line of troops move to the front. A mix of Krogan and Batarians holding large metal shields. Probably won't protect long from sustained fire, but it'll mean they can reach the wall. If it takes some time. They moved into a Phalanx formation, and started their march. The line staggered a few times, showing their lack of discipline, but they still moved. Dad and I both cursed as my suspicions were confirmed, and every time one of those at the front of the Phalanx fell, another took his place.

"Fuck! Fire at those behind the line! We can at least thin the herd there a bit more," Dad suggested. I nodded, and opened fire, seeing the logic. Still, an hour later, they reached the wall. It was reported they were preparing grapples. Dad readied to repel any that attempted to come after me. The gunners now were all firing on the line farther back, taking out as many as we could before they eventually started to pick us off.

Metal clanged against metal and I staggered back, cursing, as did Dad. A metal hook had flown up and stuck itself deep in the floor beside us. We wouldn't be pulling that out, and the cable was a thick metal weave. A scan from Dad's Omni-tool confirmed we wouldn't be breaking it. Then another on the other side. One on my right, one on my left. Fucking great.

"Keep firing, I'll keep them off you," Dad reassured. He watched for a head to appear on either side, unable to peer over the ledge as that would just get him a bullet. I heard his rifle go off several times as I just continued shooting, needing to load ammo blocks myself while he kept me covered. I heard the Commander shouting orders as other turrets were taken down and the Pirates shoving through our lines.

"Shepards, you got hostiles inbound from _inside_ our line!" another soldier called out over the comms. Dad cursed again as now he had to start watching the door. But I had to keep firing.

"John!" Dad called out as his weapon overheated. "Left!" I backed up from the gun and knocked the gun out of the hands of a Batarian before sending my boot into the middle of his face, causing him to fall to his doom. I got back on the gun. Dad's gun fire was still rapid.

"You're all that's left! Coming to-AAAGH!" The Commander's comms went silent. I cursed again and pressed the release that would allow me to remove the gun from its bearings. I set myself up against a wall, watching the door. Dad nodded and watched the cables. As Pirates began turning the corner to our emplacement, I opened fire Rambo style, mowing them down. Only thing keeping me standing with this kick is the fact I'm using the wall to stabilize it. It kept working a while longer.

"Elysium, this is Rear Admiral Kahoku, we're in system and en-route. We'll be in range in Fifteen minutes. I repeat, fifteen minutes. Hold on a little longer!" Our comms came to life again. I knew what it really meant, however.

They'd have to engage the Pirate fleet first. If we're lucky, we may get a Corvette or Frigate to bomb the enemy lines. But we'll likely only be done when the fleet is destroyed. Another group of pirates attempted to charge down the hall, and I opened fire. Most of them fell.

And then it went click. The gun was out, and the ammo blocks weren't in reach. I slammed myself into cover along the corner, rifle in hand, and just opened fire. Suppressive, mostly. I could feel the fatigue.

"Asari!" Dad called out. Shit, damn biotics! She had a barrier up, which gave her time to push dad against the wall. She was just about done climbing up when I opened fire on her, taking her down, but the other cable had a Batarian successfully make his way up. And a Human sped down through the hallway I had been protecting. I moved to shoot the Batarian, but saw the Human swinging the butt of his rifle towards my head. I moved my head out of the way, but he managed to turn his attack just in time to still slam it down onto my left shoulder. Still, I used my right hand, which already had a finger on the trigger to put down the Batarian, and dad shot the Human from behind as he stood.

Two shots rang out. The same cable the Asari had been climbing, another Batarian had taken her place. He was grinning evilly, his four eyes as dark as night. The first bullet broke through Dad's shields, and the second was through the back, an exit wound in his stomach. I cried out as dad fell to the floor, grunting in pain and tackled the Batarian. I began slamming my fists into his face repeatedly, then saw a glint of metal. He had drawn a knife from somewhere. He tried to jam it up towards my skull, but I moved my head just enough so that it was a glancing blow. A gash on my forehead, cutting into my hairline a bit. I felt the warm blood trickle down as I wrestled with the Batarian for his knife, using my grip to crush his wrist. He dropped it, shouting in pain as I took it and shoved it into the center of his throat. I watched and heard him gurgle on his blood as I remembered dad and turned. He was on his back, a weapon raised, breathing heavily, painfully. He was coughing up blood.

"Dad!" I shouted as I rushed to his side, forgetting that the city was under attack. I looked to see several new bodies on the floor. All pirates. All that I never noticed as I fought the Batarian. Even wounded, Dad was saving my life. I checked his wound. It was bad. The bullet had exited, but it had torn right through his stomach. I applied Medi-gel, but knew he'd need a hospital. "You'll be alright, Dad. I'll get you out of here!" I proclaimed.

I heard footsteps running down again. I readied my rifle, and almost pulled the trigger, but they were wearing Alliance uniforms.

"Where's your commander?" one of them asked. Before I could even answer, engines roared overhead. A squadron of Alliance bombers flew overhead, dropping their payloads across the enemy lines. Alliance Gunships mowed down those still climbing or too close to the walls. I began to rest easier. "Guess you won't be needing those reinforcements… Adams, check him." He then began requesting a Medevac. If Adams thought the situation was bad, he didn't say.

"John…" Dad wheezed. "I lost too much blood. You-"

"Don't talk like that, Dad! You're gonna be fine! Tell him he's gonna be fine!" Adams remained quiet. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, _no_!

"Listen to me dammit," he pleaded. "I love you. I love your mother. John, don't-" he coughed. His voice became calm, and he reached a hand up to grasp my shoulder. "Don't just survive, son. _live_." He took another breath. "You did good, son. You did good. I'm…" he started to slump, slipping into unconsciousness. "I'm proud of you…"

* * *

Rigidly, I stood on the stage, face as set as stone as Rear Admiral Kahoku pinned the metal star on my jacket. I had barely listened at all to what he had said. I was a recipient of the Star of Terra. For "single handedly defending a fortification against ten thousand pirates." Single handedly. I want to find out what bureaucrat added that part so I can drag him to my father's grave and grind his face against the headstone. Then repeat the process for all the other dead that were at the same fortification.

I didn't do this single handedly.

I was just the only survivor.

Again.

Mom was here, having arrived the day after the attack, grief stricken at Dad's loss. Though she never let it show. Instead, she was more concerned with me. Obviously, Akuze had done more than shake me up. But now, my father had died in my arms.

It was my fault. If Akuze hadn't happened, we'd have had no reason to be on Elysium. Or even then, I could have just suggested anywhere else. The Citadel, Earth, Arcturus, Terra Nova, anywhere. Anywhere but here. I came out of my trance as the crowd applauded and cheered. Right. The people of Elysium were propping me up as a hero. As the man who saved them all. How can they so easily forget that I didn't save the countless bodies in the streets? Everyone else who tried to hold the very same fortification I was? Those were their people too, why am I the only one who seems to remember them?

After only a short while longer, the ceremony was over. I avoided the paparazzi press, giving them nothing but blank stares as I left, going back to a private room in a block of pre-fabs placed down for the early reconstruction. Mom joined me shortly after my own arrival. She didn't say anything, and neither did I. She just pulled up a chair quietly, and sat beside me. A half hug, head leaning on my shoulder. The message clear, if unspoken. She was there for me. She was hurting at least just as bad as I was, but she put that all aside for me. We sat there a small while longer before there was a knock on the door. I knew who it would be. He was there for the funeral, after all.

"Come in, Anderson," I answered the knock. He entered. Tall, dark skin, broad shoulders, receding hairline of dark hair with a few grey's showing up. He didn't offer any apologies, or condolences, or understandings. There was no need, they had already been given.

"You can get out if you want to, John. They won't stop you," Anderson offered. Offered a way out of the Alliance if I wanted. Why would I? It's all I have. I grew up Alliance, between Alliance ships and Arcturus after all. I signed on right on my 18th. A soldier is who I am.

"I'm not leaving," I answered. Mom opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it, just nodding. Allowing me to make my decision. Anderson too nodded, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"Then you may want this," he handed the paper. I read it, and angled it so mom could read it too. Her eyes widened.

"John…" she murmured. I suppose I wasn't surprised. An N7 commendation. It was what I wanted for so long. And Dad was always my strongest supporter when I first started I wanted to be one myself.

"I accept."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a few things I'm calling out here. One: The date of Shepard's birth is exactly what it is on the ME timeline. Additionally, on the ME timeline, Akuze technically happens AFTER Elysium. Unfortunately, I had already had the whole idea of this chain of events planned since halfway through my Andromeda story. So, it's sticking. Next chapter is going to be the first of the actual game itself, so, hope you enjoyed! Hope you want to stay around!**


	3. Prime Target

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Got one quick thing about what you're going to see described within the first few paragraphs. And this is a result of thorough discussion with both my editors and other ME fans. Essentially, that it just makes absolute sense that an N7 MUST not only be a jack of all trades, but a master of all trades as well. Best of the best, after all. But given that Shep isn't biotic, essentially, just imagine him as a mix of Soldier, Engineer, and infiltrator. The reason Bioware doesn't do that in game is completely justified, of course, gameplay and what-not, but from a story perspective this just makes sense. Anyways, hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

I followed Anderson through the airlock. It had been three days since I graduated from my N7 training. Flying colors. Dad would have been proud. According to Alliance standards, I had mastered the use of each weapon category. Rifle, shotgun, sniper, pistol. While I preferred the rifle, always had, I would be just as comfortable with any of the others. Additionally, I had received extensive technical training. While it wasn't part of my training when I first enlisted in the Alliance, you don't get to be an N7 without being the best of the best. I could go toe to toe with a Quarian if I ever have to. Unfortunately, I'm not biotic, so that's one thing I can't be trained in the use of. But I can be trained into how to counter them. Normally, that just consists of caution and dampeners.

I shifted my shoulders as I enjoyed the sensation of my N7 armor. The best armor the Alliance could give to a ground trooper. Often replaced with new experimental versions. Not to mention it just looked badass. I glanced around at the bridge of this ship. Anderson had explained earlier. The SSV Normandy SR1. A joint project between the Turian Hierarchy and the Alliance. And carrying an experimental drive core and stealth drive. I'll need to ask the head engineer about that later.

"Shepard, this is the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, Joker," Anderson introduced, gesturing a hand at the pilot's chair. The viewport was just the dock of Arcturus right now, but wouldn't be for long. He just waved a hand disinterested, a glance back. He had a beard, just pushing Alliance regulations. Hm, hell, I tend to let my own do that sometimes. He led me through the ship's command corridor to the broader CIC.

"Designs different, Anderson. Why's the command platform raised up?" I asked curiously.

"Turian method. Better oversight of the whole bridge and position of respect and authority. All to better help control and carry the Captain's voice. Alliance thought they'd give it a shot," Anderson answered. I nodded, musing on that a bit. Anderson then pointed out another man. Older, light skinned, balding. "Navigator Pressley." The navigator saluted, and I gave a short one of my own as Anderson let him be at ease. Anderson than moved to the side and down a set of stairs to the second level. Elevator right in front of us, mess hall behind it, captain's quarters on the left, sleeper pods further down the middle to the back, and med-bay on the right. "Let me show you our doctor. I think you'll approve," Anderson smirked. I raised a brow as he led me towards the door. He stepped to the side as it opened, and my eyes widened as a woman stood there, smiling.

"Commander John Shepard. It's been too long," Karin Chakwas greeted. Not only was she the doctor who delivered me, but she had become a friend of my mother too. Which, given their Alliance lives, meant that if I needed to see a doctor, even for a checkup, it was normally her. Sometimes I think she mother henned me more than my own mother.

"Well I'll be damned. Didn't expect to see you, Chakwas," I smiled.

"Anderson requested me. It seems my lot in life is to be the woman who patches you up every other bloody day," she chuckled, teasing me. I was an adventurous kid. Something Dad encouraged.

"The two of you can catch up soon. I need to finish showing John the ship, then brief him on the mission. Sorry, Karin," Anderson apologized.

"Of course, David. Try not to break a limb the moment I stop looking, won't you, Shepard?"

"No promises, doc," I chuckled. Anderson then doubled back to a cargo elevator and we began the descent down.

Very. Very slowly. I turned to glance at the Captain, brow raised.

"I'll have the engineers take a look at speeding it up a bit," he muttered. Finally, we came to a stop in the Cargo hold. Armory with lockers on the left, cargo bay doors ahead, and to the right?

An M-35 Mako. I whistled. I got a new toy.

"Alenko! Jenkins! Over here!" Anderson called out to a pair of men talking by the armory. Both looked up and made their way towards us. "Shepard, this is your ground team. Small for now but that can change. First, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Sentinel class." Biotics and tech. Good, got some biotics ourselves. I nodded a greeting as the man saluted. Slicked back hair, firm features. A soldier. "And Corporal Richard Jenkins. He was young, eager, wearing a Beret. Everything about him said "Red-shirt." I didn't want that to be the case.

"An honor to meet you sir!" Jenkins greeted cheerfully. I nodded again. ' _Try not to get attached to any of them, John. You know what will happen."_

"Now, we'll introduce you to Adams, and-" Anderson was cut off by the ship intercom.

"Captain, Nihlus just arrived on board. Wants us to head out immediately," Joker informed.

"Tell him I'll meet him in the comm room when he's ready. Go ahead and get us moving," Anderson answered. "We'll introduce you to Adams later."

"Who's Nihlus?" I asked as we made our way back to the elevator.

"A Council Spectre. He's been assigned to be alongside us for the Normandy's first run. It's just a shakedown run to Eden Prime, test the ship out," Anderson explained.

"A Spectre? Why would they send a Spectre for a shakedown run?" I raised a brow, hearing Jenkins gasp in surprise behind us, having heard us.

"It was Co-designed with the Turians, they're just as interested in making sure all goes well as we are," Anderson remarked. Not a satisfying answer. And he gave me a look that said it wasn't everything. I accepted it. I'd likely know in time, and he clearly wants to tell me, just can't. When the elevator finally stopped, I grabbed a protein bar out of the mess, having felt a bit hungry. After quickly munching it down, I started to make my way up to the bridge.

"Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence," Joker stated on the intercom. It was standard procedure for a vessel's first flight. Not something we'd hear often at all afterwards. As I came to the head of the CIC and its galaxy map, passing by Pressley, Joker continued. "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination. The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector." The flight crew were all running the checks, all seemed calm. "All stations secure for transit." Through the bridge viewport I could see the Mass Relay as we approached. The bright blue Eezo core and the two spinning circles that… kept it stabilized? Not sure, the relays are still not highly understood. There was a Turian in red armor standing to the side of Joker's seat, watching with his arms crossed over his chest. And in the seat to Joker's right, Kaidan. Guess he must have gotten up here while I was getting the snack. "Board is green. Approach run has begun." Energy shot out from the Mass Relay, connecting with the drive core on our ship as we followed its length. Joker gave his countdown, everything outside went white for less than half a second before we ended up back in normal space, hundreds if not thousands if not millions of light years away from Arcturus.

"Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under 1500k," Joker listed off. A good number. A very good number. I may want to take look at his file, maybe he's set some records.

"1500 is good," the Turian, Nihlus, nodded. "Your captain will be pleased." I got a look at his face now. His plates were brown, but his face was also almost entirely painted over by white colony markings. He then immediately turned, likely heading to the comm room to meet with Anderson.

"I hate that guy," Joker muttered. I raised a brow, Kaidan turned with the same expression.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment… so you hate him?"

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Joker retorted. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board Call me paranoid," Joker shrugged.

"You're paranoid," Kaidan stated. I gave a light chuckle. "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story," Joker remarked. "But only an idiot believes the official story." He's not wrong. And a Spectre is a bit much.

"They would never send a Spectre on a simple shakedown run," I mused.

"So, there's more going on than the Captain's letting on," Joker looked at Kaidan. I was about to cut their chatter, that they shouldn't question their CO so much, but Anderson requested a status report before I could. During that pause, I did remember that it might have just been different than _that._ It's only natural to want to know everything about what you're doing. "Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass _before_ we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way," Joker grumbled.

"He's already here, Lieutenant." Joker froze, sitting up a helluva lot straighter. "Tell Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." A debriefing? Am I about to hear what it was he couldn't tell me?

"I'll be right there, sir," I answered, revealing that I had listened in to the whole thing. Anderson didn't reply, I just made my way towards the comm room. Presley was talking to someone on comms about Nihlus, looking like a man on a mission. And as I neared the comm room, Jenkins was leaning on the wall talking to Chakwas.

"I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc. It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus ain't telling us," he remarked. Chakwas wasn't as convinced.

"Anderson's in charge here, he wouldn't take orders from a Spectre," she argued.

"Not his choice. Spectres don't answer to anyone," he argued with childlike enthusiasm. "They do whatever they want, kill anyone who gets in their way."

"You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins," Chakwas laughed dismissively. Jenkins saw me approaching their general direction and called out.

"Hey, Commander, think we'll be staying on Eden Prime long? I'm itching for some real action!" Yep. Red-shirt. I'm going to need to teach this kid to relax. That, or one simple firefight will destroy his romanticized illusions of war.

"I'm too old and cynical to believe you're kidding, Corporal. Especially after having known Shepard for so long. Your real action usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary," Chakwas chastised.

"You need to relax Corporal," I stated firmly. "A good soldier stays cool, even under fire." I saw a glint of recognition and sympathy from Chakwas. I used to be like Jenkins this way. And the doc knows very well that I learned the hard way. This kid doesn't have to.

"Sorry, Commander. But this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!"

"Jenkins," I put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a bit. "Treat this like any other assignment you've had. Stay cool, stay calm, stay focused. Do that, and everything will work out."

"Easy for you to say. You proved yourself on Akuze, and then during the blitz! Everybody knows what you can do!" Now, I had to resist removing my hand from his shoulder and breaking his jaw. Chakwas wasn't fast enough to shut Jenkin's mouth, but her eyes quickly widened then hardened, staring at Jenkins with the message clear. Shut the hell up.

"Jenkins," I let out a deep breath, controlling my anger. "This is your first, and final warning. Do not talk to me about Akuze. Fifty good men and women died that day. Do not talk to me about Elysium. I did not make that defense all by myself. I was just the only one to survive it. My own goddamn father died in my arms that day. War is hell, Jenkins. Hope to the ends of the universe that you never have to fucking see it." I quickly left, leaving Jenkins with a frightened look at my outburst, as I stormed towards the comm room. Before I entered, I quickly took another deep breath and wiped the fury from my features, instead replacing it with calm. I strode down the small hall, and Nihlus was standing with his back to the door, looking at an image pulled up on the console. He turned, and I wondered where Anderson was.

"Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk," Nihlus stated formally.

"About?" Nihlus looked a moment longer at me, before pacing just in front of me. "I'm interested about this world we're going to. Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful." These aren't the kinds of questions I'd expect a Spectre to ask.

"The brochures paint it that way. But I've never been," I shrugged.

"It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it?" Again, more odd questions. "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?" Alarms started to go off in my head. Was he one of the Turians who still presented Humanity? Even after thirty years? The fact that his back was turned to me as he finished didn't help.

"If you know something, Nihlus, I'd much prefer it if you just said it." He turned.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" A door opened behind me. Before I could even ask what he meant, Anderson stepped to my side.

"I think it's time we told Shepard what's going on."

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," Nihlus stated.

"That was a bit obvious. A Spectre is a bit much, after all," I remarked. Nihlus' mandibles flared slightly, a smirk, I think.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's the real reason Joker had the stealth systems operational," Anderson began.

"Need-to-know basis?" I asked.

"Straight from the top," Anderson nodded. Alright, this was serious. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of Prothean beacon." I let out a whistle.

"Helluva find…"

"This is big. We haven't made a discovery like this since the Mass Archives, and that jumped our tech forward two centuries," Anderson continued. "Eden Prime is still a new Colony. It doesn't have the facilities to handle this. We're taking it back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Just as obvious that this wasn't a mere shakedown run, Commander, this obviously goes far beyond human interests alone. This discovery could affect every species in Council Space," Nihlus reminded.

"So, Prothean beacon. That's certainly a high priority. Is Nihlus here because we suspect there was a leak, and thus, trouble, or just as an additional precaution?"

"I _always_ expect trouble, Commander," Nihlus remarked. Alright, lay off the mysterious edge lord stuff.

"The latter. And something else," Anderson spoke up again. "Nihlus is also here to evaluate you." My eyes widened.

"Evaluate me? Sir?" Anderson nodded as he continued.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger say in interstellar policy. More say with the Council. If the Council accepts a Human into the ranks of a Spectre, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"Damn, after only thirty years? All the others have been around centuries to thousands of years, yet they haven't gotten any farther than we are now," I remarked. Nihlus just ignored it.

"You survived a Thresher nest and held off an enemy assault during the Blitz. You held them back despite being the only position left standing. You showed not only courage, but incredible skill." At least he didn't add 'single handedly.' "That's why I put your name forward as a candidate."

"That's… big." I quickly thought about it. I still think I'm being given too much credit, but if Nihlus evaluates me and sees me worthy for the Spectres, well, guess I'd be good enough then. I'd be serving the Alliance, serving Humanity, even if I was also getting orders from the Council. And Dad? Well, it would make him proud. "I won't let the Alliance down, sir."

"I know you won't, son," Anderson nodded.

"I'll need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together," Nihlus added.

"You'll lead the ground team to secure the beacon and get it back to the Normandy. Nihlus will accompany you to observe."

"We'll be ready to go the moment we touch down," I stated.

"Good. We should be getting close. I'll-" Anderson was cut off by Joker on the intercom.

"Captain! We've got a problem." Shit.

"Report."

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!" Joker sounded nervous. Anderson glanced at Nihlus, and him back to the Captain.

"Bring it up on screen," Anderson ordered. The three of us watched curiously as the holo-screen lit up. We heard gunfire immediately. It was the helmet cam of a soldier. He and his squad were engaged in a firefight. But what really struck me as odd was that the enemy fire didn't sound like kinetic weapons. No mass accelerators. It sounded like an energy weapon. But who the hell has energy weapons? Even the Asari haven't made effective prototypes yet. The visuals were confirmed as a soldier, a woman in white armor and a pinkish-red trim ran up to the camera. She avoided enemy fire, and one that must have been a heavy round as it caused a plume of dirt to shoot up. But the dirt looked liquified, goop-like. Not to mention a large puff of smoke. It has to be energy. Plasma.

"Get down!" The woman shouted as she tackled the soldier with the cam to the ground. She then stood and opened fire again. There was a lot of static as the camera turned into another blue explosion. I couldn't see what they were shooting at. Another Alliance soldier stood in front of the camera now.

"We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: Heavy casualties! We can't-" The man covered himself from another explosion. "Need evac! They came out of nowhere. We need-" The ground seemed to shake and both the soldier and the soldier with the camera fell to the ground as a kind of mechanical whirring was heard in the distance. Most of the shooting seemed to stop as all the soldiers turned to look up. Descending from the dark, clouded sky, was a massive… ship? With large metal tendrils, like tentacles reaching down, like it was landing. I had never seen anything like it. The gunfire resumed, more and more explosions. Then the feed went dead. Fucking hell…

"There's nothing else, sir. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead…" Joker murmured.

"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight-point-five," Anderson ordered. The video did as told, and we got a still image of the ship. Chills were sent right up my spine.

I have a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

Kaidan, Jenkins and I set down at the LZ designated. Right from off the ship. Nihlus had departed just before us, saying that he moves faster on his own. Suppose Spectres have a right to that kind of confidence. Our plan was still largely the same. Small strike team so to not draw much attention. Extracting the beacon is the number one priority. Everything else comes second. I kept glancing at Jenkins, he was worried. This was his home after all.

We moved forward, Lancer rifles out and ready. We could still hear those energy weapons and even see some streaks across the sky. And plumes of smoke in the distance. We moved down a hill, following a conveniently placed dirt path. But there were… things by the river beside us.

"The hell?" Kaidan exclaimed.

"Gas bags. Harmless," Jenkins reassured.

"Then ignore em. Move on," I ordered. We passed a rock that had two charred corpses lying on it.

"Oh god…" Jenkins murmured. I warned ya kid. Should I be concerned that it doesn't really faze me anymore? We passed more bodies. A path towards a tree line, and a lot of rocks we could use as cover. Would make a good sightline for hostiles. I held up a clenched first, signaling for the others to stop, and dropped to a knee. I couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

"Jenkins, head straight for the rocks," I whispered. Jenkins moved, watching, nothing happened. As Kaidan and I moved to follow, Jenkins moved again. I didn't tell him to do that. I heard more energy weapons as Jenkins cried out, firing off two rounds as I stood to run and knock him out of the way. It was two drones.

"No!" I shouted. He was being riddled by the drone's fire, unable to shoot and crying out again before I managed to knock him out of the way and into cover. He was screaming as the rounds were burning through his armor and chest. Anger rising, I readied my rifle and stood in cover, opening fire, as did Kaidan. Three drones, they fell. A round had impacted my shields and nearly collapsed them. Just one round. Fucking A. I kneeled back down to Jenkins as Kaidan ran over. The screaming had stopped, but he was still conscious. Barely. The energy rounds had melted into his chest cavity, as well as his abdomen. Medi-gel wasn't going to fix this. But it would at least make it easier.

"I-" I'm sorry, sir…" he coughed.

"Don't apologize, Jenkins," I murmured.

"Tell my parents I love em, will ya?

"I will."

"Damn it," Kaidan cursed under his breath.

"Thanks. Heh…" he struggled to laugh as he coughed again. "It doesn't hurt anymore…" His head lulled back, and his breathing stopped. I removed his helmet and ran my fingers over his eyes, closing them. I used my Omni-tool to mark the body for proper burial once this was done.

"It ripped right through his shields… what kind of weapons are these things using?" Kaidan questioned.

"Sounded like some kind of energy weapon. Plasma, maybe. My shields almost collapsed deflecting just one," I answered.

"Christ…"

"We gotta stay focused, Alenko. Come on, stay close to cover, if not in it." I led the lieutenant onward. Another trio of drones came out from behind the tree-line, but luckily, we both dove into cover behind rocks without taking any hits. So, we were able to take down the drones with a few controlled bursts.

"Got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies," Nihlus informed over our comms as the last of the drones were taken down.

"We've seen bodies too. And some drones. They took down Jenkins. One round almost collapsed my shields. The hell are we up against, Nihlus?" I questioned, a bit angrily. He paused.

"I don't know. Not yet." I cursed under my breath and we continued through the trees, putting down another trio of those drones. We came out of the trees and saw down a hill. There was a soldier running from more gunfire. I think I recognized the soldier as the woman we saw first in the distress signal. We moved forward to provide support from cover as a round impacted her shields. The drones still hot in pursuit. So, she dove forward on the ground, facing the drones with pistol in hand. Both came crashing to the ground. Then both she, Alenko, and I focused on something else, just further ahead. Two metal figures placing a colonist, a man, on some kind of… circular table?

A spike rose from it, impaling the main straight through the chest and lifting him up. Like some Vlad The Impaler shit. And the poor bastard was still alive! The woman began to run back, her eyes meeting us. The metal figures took notice, which was impossible to miss given their heads were dominated by a large glowing eye. The soldier took cover again not far ahead of us. She looked at us and nodded. As the robot things moved to engage, we opened fire. A controlled burst broke through their shields, and another caused white fluid, perhaps hydraulic fluid, to spew out like blood. Both went down, and we ran forward to meet with the soldier. She panted as she lowered her weapon.

"Thanks for the help Commander. I didn't think I was going to make it." she panted again. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, sir?"

"Commander John Shepard. You wounded, Williams?"

"A few scraps and burns. Nothing serious. The others weren't so lucky," she murmured.

"Damn it… We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since…"

"You'll be alright, Williams. Now, just what are we facing here," I murmured as I approached the bodies of the robots. I rolled one over so that its front was facing upwards. It looked so familiar, but I couldn't place it… Oh shit.

"Sir, I think they're-" Ashley began.

"Geth. It's fucking Geth."

"The hell? The Geth haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in about three hundred years! Why now?" Kaidan questioned.

"They must have come for the beacon. Would never have thought they'd care that much about it," Ashley stated.

"Where's the dig site?" I asked.

"Just over that rise. Might still be there," she answered.

"Williams, you still combat ready?"

"Absolutely, sir," she readied her rifle.

"Then come with us, we'll need all the help we can get." Ashley nodded and then proceeded to follow us along. Past another pair of impaled colonists. We turned a bend, seeing old Prothean architecture reaching into the sky. I still wasn't comfortable with sightlines, so we kept going from cover to cover. Which paid off, as Geth opened fire, moving closer. We timed our fire so that we only stood together, so that to best mow down the Geth. And it worked, the first time we stood, we put down each of the Geth troops. At the base of the dig site, there was nothing but more impaled colonists.

"Shit, they moved it," Ashely cursed. She then froze, slowly stepping close to one of the bodies. It wasn't as… decayed as the others. Its skin was becoming pale, but still had some color. And I think I could recognize it as a woman, and dark hair lingered, not quite having completely fallen off yet.

"I recognize her. Laura. Friend of mine in the squad. Damn it… I remember this boyfriend she talked about. Scott, I think…" Ashley sighed. "Shit."

"Why are they doing this…" Kaidan murmured.

"I don't know. But we need to find the beacon. Any ideas, Williams?"

"We should try the research camp. If there's any survivors, they'll know."

"Then we move." A voice popped up on our comms again. It was Nihlus.

"Shepard, change of plans. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there."

"Wilco. Beacon's been moved, and we picked up a survivor. Says if there's any survivors at the research camp, they'll know," I informed.

"Understood. Keep me posted." Comms went silent.

"Who was that?" Ashley questioned.

"Council Spectre. Nihlus," I answered casually. Simply leading them both up out of the dig site. More fires, more smoke. More of those… impaled people. Ashley cursed under her breath again.

"Watch for ambush," Kaidan warned. As we moved by them, the spikes impaling the three colonists to our left retracted. The bodies moving. Yet also, glowing blue with machinery under their patchy skin. "Oh god," Kaidan muttered. As they stood, we could see wires and circuitry coursing through their entire body, their eyes replaced with some kind of metallic light, like the Geth.

"This is fucked…" Ashley exclaimed. They stood, and then screeched, charging straight for us, long metallic claws brandished.

"Open fire!" I ordered. Bullets impacted them center mass, but they didn't stop. They didn't even seem to register it. So, I aimed higher. A stream of bullets impacted the… thing, in the head, destroying the head, and causing it to drop dead. The process repeated with the other two.

"How the hell are they turning our dead against us?" Kaidan questioned quietly. No one had an answer for him. We checked two pre-fabs that were still intact. One was empty and unlocked. The other was locked, and no one responded when we tried to call out inside. So, I used my Omni-tool to hack through the lock. A simple task, as pre-fabs aren't exactly built for full security. I bypassed the lock, and the door opened.

"Don't shoot!" A woman exclaimed. I lowered my weapon, stepping inside. A man and woman both alive. She immediately appeared relieved upon seeing us.

"Humans! Thank god!"

"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" the man whispered anxiously.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," I reassured.

"Thank you," the woman was calmer than the man. "I think we'll be ok." She peered around me. "Looks like everyone's gone."

"Dr. Warren? The one in charge of the excavation? Do you know what happened to the beacon?" Ashley questioned.

"It was moved to the spaceport this morning. Manuel and I stayed behind to help pack up the camp," Dr. Warren answered. "When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide. They saved our lives…"

"No one is saved. The age of humanity is ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain!" the man, Manuel, prophesied. I ignored it.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the attack?" Warren put a hand to her forehead as she recanted.

"It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering our equipment, and the next, in our shed while the Geth swarmed."

"Agents of the destroyers. Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction!" Manuel continued. He was ignored.

"We could hear the battle outside. Gunfire… screams... I thought it would never end. We've just sat here until now.

"Any ideas why the Geth would want the beacon?"

"Any knowledge the Protheans left behind. We honestly don't know what the beacon would have held," Warren shrugged.

"We have unearthed the heart of evil. Awakened the beast. Unleashed the darkness," Manuel shivered.

"Manuel! This isn't the time!" Warren chastised.

"Have you seen or heard a Turian around here? He was making his way to the spaceport." I wanted to know if Nihlus was taking moments for survivor hunts.

"I saw him. The Prophet. Leader of the enemy. He was here, before the attack."

"Well, that wasn't Nihlus…" I mused, suspecting that we just got a big clue into this situation.

"What's wrong with your assistant?" Kaidan questioned, a bit bluntly. Warren appeared a bit embarrassed. For his sake, I suppose.

"Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a bit unstable."

"Is it madness to see the future? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"

"Look," I sighed. "Stay here, stay safe. People will know where to find you when this is over. Alenko, Williams, move out."

"You can't stop it. Nobody can stop it. Night is falling. The darkness of eternity!"

"Manuel, go lie down. Let the meds kick in," Warren insisted. I tried to ignore the chills.

We heard a single gunshot. Not a Geth weapon, though. Kinetic. But as we turned the corner, we forgot about it. We froze as we saw the massive starship from the vid, standing at a distance, no doubt, but still standing high in the sky. Fucking massive. Enveloped in a layer of thick red clouds. There was a low metallic rumbling. As it ascended. It flew off towards atmo, leaving Eden Prime behind.

"Fucking hell…" I muttered. We began to move down towards the spaceport but saw Geth patrolling. So, I pulled out my sniper and ordered the others to approach and attack. I'd cover them. They moved together as I got down onto my stomach. I fired at one Geth as they got into position, breaking through its shields and causing its head to burst with just one shot. That got their attention, but the fire from Ashley and Kaidan distracted them further, allowing me to continue picking them off. As well as the walking corpses that accompanied them. With that done, there was another Pre-fab I led the others to check out. Before I even began decrypting, there was a voice.

"Everyone stay calm out there. We're coming out. We're not armed," the man stated loudly. The door opened, and two men and a woman stepped out, hands in the air.

"Are they gone?" the woman questioned.

"You're ok now, no one's going to hurt you," I reassured. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Those things were crawling all around the shed. They would have found us for sure. We owe you our lives," the man nodded.

"When we saw that ship, I thought it was all over," the woman wiped sweat from her brow.

"It showed up before the attack. We made a break for it the moment we saw it," the first man remarked.

"Anything you can tell me about it? We just watched it fly off," I asked.

"It did? Then maybe this madness is about to be over… Ok, well, too busy running to get a good look. Think it landed by the spaceport," he gestured back in that general direction. "And the noise… it was emitting some kind of signal. Like the… shriek of the damned," he groaned. "Like it was from inside your own head.

"Thanks for the info. Stay here, you'll be fine," I nodded.

"Hey, we're just a bunch of farmers," the other man whispered to the lead. "These guys are soldiers. Maybe we should give them the stuff."

"Geez Blake. You gotta learn when to shut up!" I just raised a brow, crossed my arms over my chest. He sighed. "Some guys at the spaceport were running a small smuggling ring. Nothing major. In exchange for a cut of the profits, we let them store packages in our sheds.

"So, figured something in the sheds could have helped?"

"Yeah, yeah. Not hurting anybody, don't even know what the hell is in the packages. Found a pistol. You'll need it more than I do." Cole took the pistol from his back pocket and handed it to me. I just chuckled.

"Look, just hold onto it in case more Geth come. I already have a pistol. No doubt much better than a low-level smuggling ring." Ashley seemed a bit peeved but wasn't saying anything.

"Uh… alright… well… there's one more thing that may actually help.

"Who's your contact? What's his name?" Ashley questioned.

"He's not a bad guy," the man defended. "I don't want to get him in trouble. Besides, I'm not a snitch!"

"For all we know, the smuggler might have leaked the reason for the attack. We need his name," I pushed.

"Damn it…" the man sighed. "Powell. Works the docks, if he's still alive…"

"Thanks. Again, just stay here, you'll be fine." They returned inside their pre-fab, and we continued to the first parts of the space-port. But where was Nihlus? Then we saw a Turian body lying face first on the ground ahead. I say face first, but I don't think there's even a face left. Shot in the back of the hand, up close. "Shit," I murmured as I crouched beside the body.

"Movement behind the crates!" Ashely aimed her weapon, and I stood, rifle up. Hands shot up from behind first.

"Wait! Don't-Don't shoot!" he stood into view. "I'm one of you! I'm human!" he shouted, palpable fear across his face.

"Careful, sneaking up nearly got you killed," I stated calmly as I lowered my weapon.

"I… I'm sorry. I was hiding from those… things. My names Powell," Ah, is it? "I saw what happened to that Turian. The other one shot him." The other one? Like what Manuel said…

"Other one? Tell me how Nihlus died. Tell me everything." I made sure my helmet cam was recording.

"The other one got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. Your friend called him Saren. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax, let his guard down… And Saren killed him. Turned his head into that blue bloody mess of brains on the floor," Powell shuddered. "I'm just lucky he didn't see me back here…"

"Where did Saren go afterwards?" I questioned.

"He jumped on the cargo train and headed to the other platform. Probably going after the artifact thing. Ugh…" Powell shuddered again. "They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been back here, so would I!"

"Not everyone here died. Group of farmers lived. They mentioned you as being their contact…" I trailed off. I was convinced now the man had nothing to do with it, but if he has something to help us fight off the Geth…

"Ah shit… I'm glad Cole's alive but, damn it… but… what does it matter now? Everyone's fucking dead!" he exclaimed, on the verge of breaking down.

"Smuggle anything we could use to fight these bastards off?" Powell perked up a bit.

"Uh… yeah. Yeah. Shipment of grenades. No one notices a few small pieces missing from military orders." I was about to ask for him to hand it over, when Ashley had had enough.

"You greedy sonuvabitch! We're out here trying to protect your sorry ass and all you can think about is how you can rip us off?!"

"I never thought you'd actually need them! This is Eden Prime! A bunch of farmers! No one could have expected this!" Powell defended.

"Relax, Williams. Not worth it," I tried to calm her.

"You're lucky he's here, Powell," Ashely sneered. "Hand em over." He didn't hesitate. More grenades always helps.

"In the meantime, I'd think of a way to make it up to the dead marines, Powell," I began to turn, expecting he'd probably go enlist later on, or… something. Turns out, he had something else.

"I got something else. Experimental. Take it," he handed it over as well. They were also grenades, but a high explosive prototype. Well, they'll be getting some field testing.

"Thanks, Powell. Alright, move out," I ordered the others as Powell just began to scramble off in the opposite direction. Good thing for him too, because as we moved to the ramp down to the cargo train, there were more Geth. The close range meant we simply held down the triggers and they collapsed before they fired themselves, splattering hydraulic fluid everywhere. On the walled platform above the train itself, we had an excellent sightline on a number of Geth on the cargo train. So, we used it to mow down many them before we had to move on to the cargo train itself. Then, push to the front so we could activate it to make its way towards the beacon. They were waiting for us, but at range. So, I just pulled out my sniper as Kaidan and Ashley gave me some suppressive fire.

There was a larger Geth, slowly lumbering towards us. It survived one shot to the head, though it's headlights were flickering. And a second put it down before it caused any problems.

"Textbook work. Get moving," I encouraged. I made my way to the controls and keyed it to move to the other platform. Where the beacon should be. As the train was coming to a stop, I could already see that the area had plenty of Geth. And, besides the platform we'd leave the train from, a bloody bomb.

"Cover me!" I ordered, as I crouched beside it and began disarming it. My Omni-tool connected with my HUD and displayed the proper process from its scan of the bomb. Cut a wire here, send a signal here, and it was disarmed. With that, I led the others up a catwalk to the upper level. Likely where the other bombs would be, and, of course, more Geth. As confirmed by the gunfire. To our luck, at least, they were concentrated on the adjacent side. That meant I could snipe, while Kaidan and Ashley suppressed. It's a tactic that continued to work. And so, before long, we had disarmed a total of four bombs. Would have leveled the entire area. We moved to mop up the last of the Geth, but were looking out amongst a large, molten crater. This had to be where that massive ship had touched down. It certainly left its mark on this place.

Fortunately, the beacon was right there. Just a few more Geth, and another one of those corpses to put down first. It was a task quickly accomplished. The Beacon was shooting a kind of… green beam up towards the sky and enveloped in a barely visible green aura. I activated my comms.

"Normandy, we have the beacon. Requesting immediate pickup."

"Good work, Shepard. Inbound to your coordinates," Anderson answered.

"Thank you, sir. But, there's more. Unfortunately-" I glanced back at the others. Ashley was getting close to the beacon, and I had a bad feeling. Really bad. The beacon then glowed green and seemed to be pulling her in, closer. Instinct kicked in, and I moved Kaidan out of the way as I knocked Ashley away from the beacon. Now, just left with itself as it held me in front of it, firmly. Somehow. It lifted me into the air in front of it as I felt my mind burn. I grunted in pain as images flashed in my head. Images of blood, of metal, destruction and of death.

Everything faded to black.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, just a few small things Imma say real quick. First, for the newbies, that body that Ashley described? Laura? Reference to my Andromeda story. Additionally, want to say some things about the weapons. In the Mass Effect lore, plasma weapons, which the Geth use, would be ENTIRELY unaffected by Kinetic barriers (shields.) They would just pass right on through. Obviously, Bioware couldn't do that in game because that would be OP as fuck. And I can't really include it, because, come on, fucking plasma rounds? They'd be down after a single shot. They'd be like Jenkins. I can't write a believable story where no one on the crew ever takes a shot at all, to the shields or otherwise. Third, and final, just mention about the armor cam. It's without a doubt standard issue for marines. I mean, hell, the one in the distress call had one. I assume they all do. Especially high-level operatives, like N7, so they can review the op afterwards or get the most accurate report. All that shit. And I'll be making use of that later, don't you worry. I'm consistent like that. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and see ya in the next one!**


	4. Citadel

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think I forgot to mention last time. It felt REALLY fucking good coming back to the Trilogy, seeing the old faces (and mask) again.**

My head pounded. I groaned lightly as I opened my eyes. The light was blinding at first.

"Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think he's waking up," a woman's voice exclaimed. A Woman… Ashley, right? I turned my body to the side so that my feet touched the floor of the med-bay and put my head in my hands. Chakwas then approached my side, looking a bit relieved.

"You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?"

"Ugh… Like a bunch of Krogan have been swinging sledge hammers in my skull…" I groaned. "How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened with the beacon, I think," Chakwas answered.

"Yeah? Well, you thought right," I remarked.

"It's my fault," Ashley shook her head. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I got close. Then you pushed me away."

"And the beacon itself?"

"It exploded. System overload? Maybe? Knocked you out cold. The lieutenant and I carried you back here," Ashley exclaimed.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Thanks for the help, but, just, damn it," I groaned again. The beacon, destroyed. With who the hell knows what could have been in it.

"Physically, you're fine. Though I detected unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves," Chakwas remarked. I stood up off the bed. "As well as an increase in rapid eye movement. It's linked with intense dreaming."

"Yeah, hang on," I focused. "I remember seeing things as the Beacon… interacted with me. It's… images, flashes I can barely make sense of. They were…" as I tried to find the words, I felt like a whisper in the back of my head gave me the answer. "Death…" another whisper "Destruction… Nothing's really clear." I shuddered. Chakwas rubbed her chin in thought.

"I should add this to my report… Oh, Captain Anderson," Chakwas greeted. I stood straighter.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?"

"All the readings look normal. I'd say he'll be just fine," Chakwas reassured. Anderson nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you. In private." Chakwas and Ashley both nodded, though the Gunnery Chief threw in a salute as well. Chakwas returned to her office in the adjacent room, and Ashley to the mess. "Sounds like that beacon hit you hard. You sure you're ok?" he asked gently.

"Well, now I've added Jenkins to my conscience. And I'm pissed that we had no idea the Geth were there. Their firepower? I'm not eager to go into a fight against that again," I sighed.

"John, Jenkins wasn't your fault. He moved without an order to. That was a choice he made. You did good," Anderson started. Then he sighed. "Anyways… I won't lie. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the Beacon destroyed, Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers.

"And we'll give em answers. We have a lead and information on Nihlus' killer, and who the hell would have expected a machine to fucking suck you in towards it before blowing up?"

"And I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard. If nothing else, I'm sure the council won't actively blame you for anything. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other Turian," Anderson said the name with clear disdain. He knows him. "Saren's a Spectre. One of the best. Living legend. But if he's working with the Geth, he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre alone is trouble. Saren? Even worse. And he hates humans."

"Any particular reason?" I scoffed. It all came down to the same reasons, in the end.

"A few. He had a brother, was a General at Shanxi during the first contact war. He died on Palaven shortly after the war was over. A good number of the details are apparently unknown or above my clearance, but apparently, a Human was involved in some way shape or form. Additionally, he thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the Galaxy. Lot of the others think that, but the only ones who've ever really done anything are the Batarians," Anderson shrugged. "But, an alliance with the Geth? I don't know how, or why, but it had something to do with that beacon. You were there just before it self-destructed. Did you see any clues? Anything that could give us a lead?"

"Like I said to Chakwas before you got in, it gave me… images. Images I kept seeing while I was out. I'll try and picture the image, try to make out what it's showing me. Then I hear something like a whisper. Tells me words like metal, blood, death, synthetics, war, harvest… warning. I honestly don't know," I shrugged.

"We need to report this," Anderson murmured.

"What are we gonna tell them? I had a bad dream?" I threw my hands into the air, frustrated. Anderson sighed.

"We don't know what information was stored in that beacon. Lost Prothean tech? Blueprints for an ancient WMD? Whatever it was, Saren took it. And I know him. His reputation, his politics. This was an act of war. And with everything he has at his disposal right now, it's a war he could very well win if we don't get help."

"We'll take him down, Anderson," I reassured.

"It's not that easy," Anderson shook his head. "Spectre. Can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the council on our side. We get his Spectre status revoked, it'll cut him off from what I would expect to be his major sources of supplies and information. That alone won't stop him, but it will make it easier to track him."

"Think the report will be enough? I never actually saw him to get him on my armor cams," I asked.

"I don't know… they won't be eager to mark their best as a traitor. Either way, I'll contact the Ambassador and see if he can get us an audience. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel."

"Understood, sir."

* * *

It had still taken a while to reach the Citadel. Ashley had wanted to talk, feeling a kind of guilt about Jenkins. Essentially, just that she's his replacement. I just told her she did fine on the mission, and that if Anderson didn't think she was up for it, she wouldn't be here. It seemed to help. Now, I was on the bridge, standing beside Joker's chair. He was just about to bring us in.

"Let's see that taxpayer money at work," he remarked. We connected with the Mass Relay we were approaching, and then shot away, finding ourselves now beside another relay in a thick, purple nebula. Small pockets in the clouds allowed the light of the small sun the Citadel is near to shine through, additionally allowing bits where we could catch a glimpse of the massive station. This is far from my first time here, but it's still an impressive sight. Several of my earlier trips here were actually a part of my N7 training. The more mundane aspects, at least. Understanding the other species, mostly. Learning their martial arts for hand-to-hand, learning their military histories. An N7 may not be a scholar, but to best beat your enemy, you must understand them. Ashley and Kaidan had both found their way to the bridge at this time themselves, peering through the viewports to get a view. As we came into the pocket of the nebula that lacks clouds, we could see the Citadel, and its fleet, in full.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed. I bet I knew which ship too. My own glance outwards confirmed.

"The Destiny Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel Fleet," I explained.

"Size isn't everything," Joker was disinterested.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley teased.

"Hey, you need firepower too," he shrugged with a smirk.

"And it does! Look at that monster, its main gun could tear through any ship in our fleet!" she continued.

"Good thing it's on our side then," Kaidan remarked.

"Bet I could dodge it," Joker chuckled. He then keyed the comms. "Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy requesting permission to dock."

"Stand by, Normandy," a Human answered. There was a pause. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator." Suppose he was a civilian then. I looked out amongst the rest of the Citadel Fleet. Turian ships made up the bulk of the Defense force, but I could see a handful of other Asari and Salarian ships. Those not on the Council weren't required to put so much towards the fleet. While I'm sure there were a few Volus, Elcor, Human, and Hanar ships out there, there wouldn't be very many.

"Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to dock 422," another Human requested. We were heading close to the Persidium ring. While I suspect our docks would instead be somewhere along the supports that connect the Persidium with the Wards. Joker acknowledged, and we continued our approach, until finally slowing down for the dock. We passed through the barrier keeping the atmosphere inside, and mag locks came and clamped down, securing the ship, and the docking ramp moved to attach to the airlock.

* * *

Anderson had suggested that the ground team suit up. Make an impression that way. And since we were allowed to carry our weapons, he said we should, though he doubted we'd need them. On the Persidium, at the very least. Currently, we were standing on the balcony of the Human embassy. The Ambassador, Donnel Udina, was speaking with the Council now. I hadn't been paying too much attention, not yet. In part because Udina had immediately struck me as someone I wouldn't like. The haughty attitude of a bureaucratic politician.

"This is an outrage!" Udina shouted. If it wasn't for the fact that clearly means the Council are at best, skeptical, I'd roll my eyes. "The Council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!"

"The Turians don't found Colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador," the Salarian Councilor, Valern, scoffed. I raised a brow. There's not exactly many other places to establish colonies, without long expeditions to other systems not linked in the Relay Network. Besides, Eden Prime was hardly even in the Traverse!

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the Asari Councilor, Tevos, added. If I was going to make the claim that had this just been another major Pirate attack, we wouldn't be coming to the Council. But no, it's the fucking Geth. Advanced, and obviously hostile Synthetics whose technology surpasses our own.

"What about Saren?" Udina argued. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre! I demand action!" Ugh, demand this, demand that. You're just pissing them off, making them both less cooperative and less receptive.

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador," the Turian Councilor, Sparatus, chastised. Proving my point.

"Citadel security is investigating your charges against Saren," Tevos played Mediator again. "We will discuss their findings at the hearing, not before." Udina nodded, and the holograms faded.

"Captain Anderson," Udina glanced among the four of us. "I see you brought half your crew with you." I raised a brow again. Anderson just let it slide. Ashley seemed to be trying her best to not glare. Hothead, I'll need to try and teach her to cool down a bit.

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions," Anderson explained. I liked that he wasn't sounding deferential at all to this slime ball.

"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?"

"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience," Anderson remarked.

"They were not happy about it," Udina sighed. "Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Sure, but when they see proof, they'll have no choice," I spoke up.

"Ah, Commander. Try not to do anything else to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres," Udina sneered. I raised a brow again, with a visible frown. "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus is dead and the beacon destroyed."

"And I have footage that proves neither was my fault, or that I could have done anything to prevent it. And, an eyewitness for Nihlus' death," I countered.

"And we better hope that C-Sec finds evidence themselves to support our case, or the Council will use it as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres," Udina sneered. He turned back to Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, there's still a few hours before the hearing. You can meet us at the Citadel Tower when it's time. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance."

"And that's why I hate politicians…" Ashley muttered as Udina and Anderson walked off.

Most of the time waiting was rather simply spent waiting at a bar at the Persidium. Though, I had helped a man named Samesh Bhatia get his wife's body returned to him. She died on Eden Prime, and was being kept for examination because of the wounds from Geth weapons. As I told the clerk in charge of that little situation, it's not worth saving Humanity if our Humanity is lost in the process. Afterwards, Ashley spent some time alone with Samesh, reminiscing on the deceased.

Changing the mood, a bit, I got some minor enjoyment of listening in on this Elcor moping at the bar. Not enjoyment at his state, but rather the little quirk they have of just needing to state their tone before every sentence. An intoxicated and moping Elcor? Got hard to keep chuckles down sometimes.

Apparently, he spoke with the Asari Prostitute-I mean, Consort, who doesn't ALWAYS fuck her clients, and then she leaked the information he had spoken. For someone like her, that's particularly damning. Still, in the end, the image of an Asari fucking an Elcor prompted me to get another drink. A stronger one. A poor attempt to wash that from my mind. Eventually, we got the message to get going, and found ourselves in the elevator up to the Council chambers. It felt like a very slow ride, but, at the same time, it is a helluva climb we're making. Though, the elevator music just makes it so much more worse.

We stepped out of the elevator, and I had to let out a bit of a whistle at the sight. I hadn't been up here before. A cover of trees over the walkway from the elevator, fountains shooting water high into the air, all in all? Very nice. At the top of a staircase just ahead, there were a pair of Turians. In what seemed like a heated argument.

"Saren's hiding something, Executor! Give me more time. Stall them!" the one on the left, a Turian, younger, by the sound of his voice, wearing black armor with blue trim and lines exclaimed. His colony markings were blue as well, along his mandibles, and just under the eyes. And he was wearing a visor over his left eye. I could recognize the other Turian now, though not from having ever met him personally. Executor Pallin, head of C-Sec.

"Stall the Council?" Pallin scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus." Pallin walked off before Garrus could argue further. I heard him curse something under his breath. He then caught sight of us, his eyes locked onto me. If he was investigating Saren, he recognizes me.

"Commander Shepard?" he asked. I nodded. "Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of C-Sec's investigation into Saren," he introduced, hand out. I shook it.

"Sounds like you really want to bring him down, Garrus," I remarked.

"I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way," he seemed to restrain a growl, mandibles flaring a bit. "But he's a Spectre. Everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence if I don't get the damned clearance to actually do any investigating!" he failed to restrain a growl this time. Red tape. He then sighed, calming himself. "Good luck with the Council. Maybe they'll listen to you," he shook his head, moving by us back to the elevator. He didn't believe they would. I continued, leading Ashley and Kaidan up to the top of the Council chambers. Anderson was waiting at the bottom of the last staircase.

"The hearings already started. Come on," he tilted his head behind him, and now he led us along. The Council was gathered on a raised platform, and a hologram of a Turian, that I can only assume to be Saren, displayed on one side of the room. It was an active comm link with him. On a narrow walkway reaching out in front of the Council, literally being looked down upon, stood Udina.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way," Tevos stated.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," Sparatus scoffed.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina argued angrily.

"And he specifically stated that he heard the name of Saren dropped. A name he didn't recognize at all. Hell, I didn't even know about him until that moment," I added.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof," Valern rolled his big eyes. They're not wrong that eyewitness accounts can be wrong, that's some basic psychology, but the fact that Powell pulled out that name, despite having no idea who it belongs to, should warrant less skepticism.

"I resent these accusations," Saren then spoke up with a cold voice, appearing defensive, and slighted. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend."

I studied him, the face of my enemy. He wore a white suit, no doubt armored in some way. He wore a black headband… thing, that ran along the sides of his head and connected at the top. And he had two spikes, one on each side of his head, that stuck out abnormally long behind him. Not like the regular Turian fringe.

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson countered, angry. I swear I saw a flash of a smile from Saren at recognizing Anderson's presence. But, why?

"Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me…" Saren mused. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed." I wasn't going to bother arguing that. He was trying to get a rise. I won't let him. But I do believe I caught a slip from him. He knows about the beacon? Let's see if I can capitalize on that.

"How do you know about the Beacon? It was top secret," I crossed my arms over my chest.

"With Nihlus gone, his files passed to me. I read the report. I was unimpressed," Saren answered. "But what can you expect from a human?"

"Maybe try to insult us when you aren't blatantly revealing that you have a motive for attacking humanity," I rolled my eyes. Saren's brow plates lowered, he stared at me.

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Before I could call him out for getting off course towards me potentially becoming a Spectre, Udina decided to blurt out his thoughts.

"He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" Shut the hell up Udina, you're not helping.

"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," Tevos called out both sides.

"This meeting _has_ no purpose. The humans are wasting both your time, and mine, Councilors," Saren argued.

"You want more proof? Alright. You'll get your proof. You won't hide behind the Council forever, Saren," I warned. Anderson looked at me and then began to speak.

"There is still one outstanding issue. The Commander's… vision, that seems to have been triggered by the beacon." I disagreed with Anderson's choice to bring that up, but I wouldn't have stopped him.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren exclaimed.

"Get your panties out of their knot, Saren. Look, nothing in those images hinted at you. But when that beacon pulled me into the air, I just got images burned into my mind. Weird shit about death, synthetics, genocide, basically. I'm not suggesting that gets pulled into evidence, it's just pretty fucking weird that that's what the beacon did to me," I tried to defuse the situation. The Councilor's glanced upon themselves, and Tevos gave me a barely noticeable nod of the head, as if she approved.

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" Valern questioned.

"Only that you should expect to hear back from me soon. With more proof." The Council then glanced amongst each other again.

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," Tevos spoke clearly.

"I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren sneered, trying again to get a rise out of someone.

"This meeting is adjourned," Tevos ended. Anderson, myself, and the ground team, frustrated, walked back down the stairs, Udina following behind closely after.

"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You have too much history with Saren, it made them question our motives," Udina glared at Anderson. You better watch your words now. Don't disrespect him, Udina. But, what's this history?

"Every colony we have is at risk, Udina. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth," Anderson stated. Essentially, implying just how invested he is in this.

"Sir, just how do you know Anderson in the first place?" I asked. He sighed.

"I worked with him on a mission decades ago. Things went bad. Real bad. He killed a lot of civilians to get the job done. And then, he blamed their deaths on me. If you really want, I'll give you more details. But somewhere private." I just nodded, understanding.

"So, what next to find proof?" I changed topic.

"As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him," Udina mused.

"Sir, what about Garrus? The C-Sec investigator? He may be at least willing to point us in the right direction?" Kaidan suggested.

"Right, right. He was trying to get more time. Maybe he was getting close to something?" Ashley added.

"Agreed. Should we just head to C-Sec and call for him?" I nodded.

"I have a contact in C-Sec who should be able to help track him. Harkin," Udina offered. Anderson scowled.

"Forget it. Harkin's scum. They suspended him last month for drinking on the job. And he's been suspended before for worse. I won't waste my time with him."

"You won't have to. I don't want your history with Saren to taint anything in the eyes of the Council. Shepard will handle this," Udina stated firmly. I raised a brow. I can see the point, but I'd much rather he just gets Anderson to agree to do that, rather than ordering him.

"There must still be a way he can help," I argued. Anderson sighed.

"No, Shepard. No. Udina's right. I need to step aside."

"And I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later," Udina requested. Anderson nodded, and Udina took his leave.

"Sorry, Anderson," I conveyed my sympathy.

"Don't worry about it, son. It's for the best. So, Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little strip club in the lower wards," Anderson explained. Ashley snorted, then it clicked for myself, and I couldn't hold back the chuckle.

"Not like that, damnit," Anderson smirked, shaking his head.

"Then I'll talk to him. Any other leads in case that doesn't work out?" I asked.

"If that doesn't work, talk to Barla Von. Volus working in the financial district. Rumor has it he works for the Shadow Broker," Anderson suggested.

"Shadow Broker eh? Then I'll definitely save that as a last resort. Even if the price isn't credits, I doubt it's one I'll want to pay," I mused.

On our way down to the wards, we stumbled upon a Salarian trying, and failing, to be subtly scanning the keepers. I asked him about it and got him to reveal that he has a scanner that can actually scan them without getting them to do their weird self-destruct thing they're known to do upon study. I not only agreed to not tell anyone, but to run a few scans myself.

When we arrived at the Wards, Ashley and Kaidan were both drawn to an outlook across the rest of the ward and to the nebula. I humored them, this was the first time for both of them after all. And hey, it really is a great view. It's like looking out along the skyline of a city at night. But because this space station is in a nebula, that's pretty much 24/7.

"Big place," Kaidan muttered. I smirked at the odd word choice. Ashley decided to point it out.

"That your professional opinion, sir?"

"He is right though," I remarked, still gazing out. "It's a sight I've seen before, but it's still crazy to think that this isn't just a station. It's a city that rivals the Megatropolises on Earth. The LA one, the Chicago one, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, you name it, this place is still bigger."

"There must be millions here. It can't be possible to track everyone coming and going," Kaidan mused, still in awe. And he's right, people slip through.

"This place makes Jump Zero look like a porta-john," Ashley chuckled.

"Jump zero's big, but this is a different scale." Kaidan pointed at the Wards. "Look at the Ward arms. How do they keep all that from flying apart?"

"The station's spinning, Kaidan. Good ol' centrifugal force," I explained. "And the Council represents all races in Citadel Space. They kinda have to be careful with newcomers," I hinted for Ashley.

"Yeah, they probably want to just keep everything running smoothly. Can't be easy keeping all those cultures working together," Kaidan remarked.

"Or maybe they just don't like humans," Ashley countered bitterly.

"Why wouldn't they like us? Beautiful oceans, people, crazy little thing called love," I joked. "According to the ol vids, we have everything they want." Huh, been a while since I've thrown a joke at a ground team.

"If you expect to get me in a tinfoil miniskirt and thigh-high boots, I want dinner first," Ashley looked at me, not appearing to be paying all that much attention to her words. Then she froze for half a second and stuttered. "Uh, Sir," she then stuck her gaze back out towards the wards. Alright, ya took it too far, Williams.

"I think that'll be enough, chief," Kaidan snickered.

"All right, enough chatter. Let's move out," I stated, ending this, hopefully without embarrassing her any further. I don't expect her to blurt something like that out again, so I won't call her out. Before we had even taken ten steps, a woman's voice called out.

"Commander Shepard? Excuse me, Commander Shepard!" I raised a brow, Kaidan chuckled, as I saw a woman running over, woman in an Asari styled dress. Stomach showing, no sleeves, and the top of her chest showing. The Asari culture certainly enjoys their assets. I just gestured for her to go on as she stood in front of me. "I'm Emily Wong. I'm an investigative journalist. Could I have a moment of your time?" she requested. Ah, an interview. Alright.

"Of course, Ma'am. What do you need?"

"I'm hunting for evidence of corruption and organized crime on the Citadel, but there are places I can't go," she began. Ah, not an interview, but a favor. Keep an eye out, essentially. "I'm aware you have your own investigation, and I was wondering if you could share anything you find. I promise to make it worth your time. Huh, word spreads fast. Wonder if it's Anderson's work.

"Alright, Ms. Wong. Any information I stumble across that may help, and is non-sensitive, I'll share," I answered.

"Thank you," Commander," she smiled, relieved. "You won't regret. It." I just nodded, and the others said nothing as I continued leading them down towards Chora's den. We passed through a marketplace and just as I was about to turn a corner to turn down a staircase. I heard it.

A man gasping. Then calling my name. I sighed, the others began snickering now, as I looked up to see. Jesus, I've never been recognized so much before. It was a blonde man, younger than me, and hair similar to Kaidan's.

"You're Commander Shepard, the hero of Eden Prime! I am so honored to meet you!"

"Uh, nice to meet you," I forced a smile, and forced myself to offer a handshake. "And you are…?"

"My name is Conrad. Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred Geth on Eden Prime!" I don't think I even saw fifty Geth.

"Most of the time I was just trying to stay alive and help the Colonists," I stated.

"Hey, I know you're probably busy, but… do you have time for a quick autograph?" he asked meekly.

"Yeah, sure, I got a minute," I answered, sighing, internally. This was weird. He handed me a picture, one of those the Alliance used of me for recruiting shortly after Elysium. Wait…

Why the hell was he carrying that around? You know what? Know, I don't want to know. I quickly signed my name and gave it back.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. My wife is going to be so impressed!" Conrad smiled, then walked away. Somehow, I doubt that.

"Ugh… kill me," I muttered under my breath, earning more chuckles from Ashley and Kaidan. Finally, we made it down to just outside Chora's den. Now-

A gunshot rang out, the bullet impacted the wall beside me, missing my shields.

"That's him! Get him!" A Turian called out. I dove back to the other side of the wall as I pulled out my rifle. They were on the catwalk furthest away. We'd both have cover. So, the moment he stopped shooting, I took aim and waiting for him to pop up. When he did, Kaidan and I both unloaded into him as Ashley focused on the other. Unlike against the Geth, our shields would actually be able to take some hits. Not many, but more.

"Looks like Saren doesn't like us poking around. That means he has something we can expose," I remarked as we holstered our weapons. I sent a quick message to C-Sec, reporting the altercation, and a message to Anderson so that he and Udina could ensure it's settled without me needing to be questioned. As we opened the door to Chora's Den, business was as usual. Guess they didn't hear us. The center of the room was the bar, being manned by several bartenders. Atop the bar, were Asari dancing on poles. All in various levels of clothing. Ranging from a suit covering all but the tits and the ass, to topless, to nothing at all. Besides the Asari, I saw a few Human women in the same state. Even saw a pair of Turian women dancing for a Turian patron.

"A million light years from where Humanity began," Ashley began dramatically. "And we walk into a bar with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on a stage. I can't decide of that's funny or sad." I glanced back, Kaidan was certainly enamored.

"Ask Kaidan, see what he thinks," I remarked. That snapped him out of it.

"Hey, Lieutenant, put your tongue back in your mouth before you trip on it," Ashley teased. Kaidan stuttered out an apology. I noticed a Krogan leaning against a wall, a bouncer, perhaps, had been eying us, making sure we didn't cause trouble. As we came around to the back side of the bar, I saw a sketchy Human with a goatee had also begun watching us. I suspect that will be Harkin. And behind them, two more Krogan. One dressed like the one on the wall, the other, in red armor with a large scar on his forehead plate and right side of the face. Claw marks. Some badass scars, gotta admit. And his eyes were red too. The other Krogan, I believe was younger. Green eyes. He was angry, while the scarred Krogan was casual.

"Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up," the green eyed Krogan threatened. Wrex crossed his arms over his chest. His voice was deep, rumbling, graveled. This was an old Krogan. That means, don't fuck with him.

"What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here," Wrex remarked coldly, confidently. Another sign of a skilled and capable warrior. "This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it."

"He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story." Wrex rumbled with a low laugh. If I was closer, I'd have felt it in my chest.

"This story is just beginning." He began to walk away, though we were unintentionally blocking his way. I started to step to the side, after all, Harkin was to the side anyway.

"Out of my way, humans. I have no quarrel with you," Wrex stated, disinterested.

"What was that all about?" Kaidan murmured.

"Who knows?" Ashley rolled her eyes. "Let's just try not to get caught in the middle." I started to approach the man I believed to be Harkin. He looked up, eyes a bit hazy.

"Alliance military. Hmph. I coulda been a marine you know. Instead I joined the goddamn Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life." I ignored his little sob story.

"Harkin, right? I was told you could help me find someone. Turian C-Sec officer. Garrus Vakarian."

"Garrus?" Harkin barked out a laugh. "You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down, eh? I know where he is. But, first, tell me. Did the Captain let you in on his secret?" I raised a brow. If there's something I don't know about Anderson, I'm damn sure this drunk doesn't know either.

"Don't waste my time, Harkin. Just tell me."

"Ah, but it's all related, don't you see? He used to be a Spectre. It was all hush hush. Then he blew it," Harkin smirked. "Screwed up the mission, kicked him out. He blames Saren."

"If that was true, his induction would have been publicized pretty quickly. Just tell me where Garrus is," I pushed. Harkin appeared disappointed but relented.

"He was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs the free med-clinic just by the viewing area nearby. Last I heard, he was going back there."

"Thanks for the info," I stated, turning to leave.

"Yeah, yeah. Go, let me drink in peace," Harkin grumbled. I led the others out of Chora's den, and towards the clinic. When we arrived, I opened the door to a surprising sight. Garrus was kneeled down, pistol out, under a counter, hiding himself from a group of thugs surrounding Dr. Michel.

"I didn't tell anyone. I swear!" Dr. Michel cried out, Garrus sneaking from behind the counter to be in position at the wall, giving himself a much better angle.

"That was smart, Doc," a thug grinned. My squad immediately began drawing our weapons. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll-" they saw us, and immediately took her as a meat shield hostage, she screamed. "Who are you?" their lead demanded, his gun aiming at us.

"Let her go. Now." I warned sternly. Garrus took his chance. Spinning around the corner and popping off a shot right into the thug's head, spraying blood everywhere. Dr. Michel screamed again as she dropped to the floor to avoid any more fire. Garrus then popped off another shot to the head of a thug as my team and I joined. All the thugs lay dead at the drop of a hat. Dr. Michel began to stand, shaking a bit. Garrus holstered his weapon and faced us.

"Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at the bastard," he thanked. A part of me didn't like the risk he took, but on the other hand, as a Soldier, I'm aware that often, you just _know_ that the shot will connect. And, at that range, and if you're a halfway decent marksman, it doesn't take much to reinforce that.

"Glad I could help by just stumbling in on this. Good, clean shot, by the way."

"Thank you, Commander." Garrus then turned to the small, red headed doctor. "Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?"

"N-No… No, I'm okay," she breathed, wiping away some of the blood. She spoke with a clear French accent. "Thanks to you. All of you."

"I know those men threatened you, but if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you," I offered. She didn't seem to hesitate. "Fist. They work for First. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian," she explained. A Quarian? Must be a pilgrim. Maybe this Quarian encountered a Geth unit and extracted information that implicates Saren. I know that Geth memory cores wipe when a troop goes down, but, the Quarians did make them, they know them better than anyone. Hm, Quarians would be a big help in a Geth war, maybe the Alliance should be talking with them…

"Tell me about the Quarian," I requested. Dr. Michel began wringing her hands and she paced, retelling the tale.

"A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

"Do you know where she is?" I continued.

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent of the Broker," Michel answered.

"Shit. Not anymore. He works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker is pissed," Garrus explained.

"Then she's in danger. We need to move, now," I began to urge the others out the door.

"Hold on, Commander," Garrus stopped me. "I have a suggestion. And a request. One, I'm aware of a Krogan bounty hunter sent by the broker for First. Urdnot Wrex. He has quite the reputation. We could use him. And, I'd like to come with you."

"Welcome aboard, Garrus. Take us to Wrex, then we find the Quarian."

"Thank you. Wrex is at the C-Sec academy. He was being held up because of threats against Fist. If we hurry, we can nab him before he leaves." I nodded, and we followed Garrus towards an elevator. Fortunately, this one didn't take long. We sped out and into the main lobby of the Academy but saw Wrex right there. Behind him, two Turian officers. And a Human officer in front of him. They were having a… discussion. Wrex was visibly annoyed.

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," the Human warned.

"I don't take orders from you," Wrex stated, brows low.

"This is your only warning, Wrex."

"You should warn Fist. I will kill him," Wrex remarked casually.

"You want me to arrest you?" the human asked, exasperated.

"I want you to try," Wrex rumbled with laughter. Wrex then noticed me again. Eyes locking onto me, recognizing. He stared down at the officer as he began lumbering in my direction. The officer just sighed and walked away.

"Do I know you, human?" Wrex asked thoughtfully.

"Commander Shepard, Alliance navy. I'm going after Fist. We thought you'd want to come along," I offered. Wrex than gave a toothy grin and chuckle, before thinking again.

"Shepard huh? Commander Shepard… I've heard a lot about you," he mused. And then stepped closer. "We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you a fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist. You can ask whatever questions you want first, but the moment you're done with him, he dies. I was hired to do a job, and I will complete that job."

"Then we have an understanding. But we're short on time, and he knows we're coming. Shall we?"

"My people have a saying. Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend," Wrex recounted.

"Funny, my people have the same saying, just worded a bit differently," I remarked.

"Then maybe I haven't given humans enough credit," Wrex chuckled. He gestured for me to lead the way. Soon enough, the five of us found ourselves just outside of Chora's Den. It was quiet. No music from the bar seeping out. No thumping of the bass.

"You'll want me to enter first," the Krogan stated calmly. "My shields are strong, hide thick, armor thicker. Plus…" Wrex then glowed with the blue aura of biotics.

Hot damn, a Krogan Biotic. Those are rare. Wrex readied a large, heavy, modified shotgun as I moved to allow him to enter first. Everyone else had their rifles ready. I gave a countdown, and Wrex charged in, already blasting away with his shotgun. First at a thug waiting behind the bar, and then a thug to the left, close. As the rest of us filtered in, we picked off smaller targets, quickly, and Wrex focused on a Krogan. He charged, knocking the Krogan to the ground, before placing his shotgun in the Krogan's mouth, and pulling the trigger. The rest of us moved quickly to cover him and mop up the last of the thugs, Krogan brains and blood splattered over the floor. Blood rage won't save them from that. With the first area clear, we moved to enter the back rooms. The door was shut, and when I opened it, two smaller, thinner, fearful men stood, aiming pistols, their arms shaking.

"S-Stop right there! Don't come any closer!" they warned.

"Warehouse workers. All the real guards must be dead," Garrus observed. I was relieved that Wrex hadn't shot yet.

"Stay back! Or we'll-We'll shoot!"

"This would be a good time to find somewhere else to work, wouldn't you agree?" I suggested. The men glanced at each other and lowered their weapons.

"Yeah. Yeah, right. That's a good idea." They dropped their weapons and ran off behind us. The smell of piss was thick in the air.

"Would have been quicker to just kill em," Wrex muttered.

"Not how I work. Their lives are worth more than a handful of seconds. If you weren't here, Wrex. Fist would be finding his way into a cell, not a coffin," I reminded. Wrex just shrugged. We came to the back room, Fist's office, before Wrex raised an arm to stop us.

"Turrets. I hear em," he muttered.

"Why do I have to do everything myself? Time to die, little soldiers!" Fist growled.

"Hold on, I'll handle this," I stated. I opened my Omni-tool and linked with both the turrets. They're on an open network and the firewalls are pitiful. I quickly broke through and assumed control. Change their targeting systems a bit and… there. Both turrets opened fire, but on each other. So that when we turned the corner, both Turrets were a smoking mess and Fist had fallen to the floor in a panic, trying to avoid their gun fire.

"Don't kill me! I surrender!" Fist pleaded. Well, I won't kill him. I stood over him, swapped my rifle for my pistol, aiming it right at Fist. Little did he know; the safety was on.

"Where's the Quarian?" I demanded.

"She's not here! I don't know where she is! That's the truth!" Fist answered, afraid.

"He's no use to you now, let me kill him," Wrex mumbled. Ah, clever. He knew that wasn't true, so, he's just playing Fist. I noticed Kaidan began searching the room. Looking for something that may tell us, or just help the investigation in general.

"Wait! Wait!" Fist tried to protect his head with his hands. "I don't know where the Quarian is, but I know where you can find her. She's not here. Said she'd only deal with the Broker himself."

"Face to face?" Wrex scoffed. "I was hired through an agent. Everyone is. Even the agents are contacted through other agents." Fist began to stand.

"You're right. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men."

"You betrayed your own people you scumbag. Where the hell is the meeting?" I growled.

"The back alley by the markets. She's supposed to be meeting them right now. It's not more than a few yards away from here," Fist answered quickly. I stepped back and Wrex pulled out his shotgun, and fired, all in a flash. Fist lay dead. Kaidan grimaced, but returned, handing me an OSD.

"Might have something that reporter wants," he shrugged.

"Screw it, I'll help you save her. Lead the way," Wrex remarked. I nodded and we all drew our weapons again, running to get to the meeting spot. We made it back to the market and alley entrance without resistance and stormed up the stairs through the door to the alleys. And up another set of stairs until we saw the meeting. A precarious situation. I could see the Quarian, she was facing a Turian, one of Saren's assassin's, who's back was turned to us. The Quarian's cloth was purple but couldn't make out the clan patterns from here. And her suit was that of a pilgrim, less ornate. More obvious belts and buckles keeping the cloth and environment suit in place. She had a shotgun folded and attached to her thigh that she had a hand hovering over, and she had a knife sheathed on her left boot. If we acted now, we risked shooting her, or getting her shot by Saren's men. Whether that's the Turian, or the two Salarians to the side. We had to wait, either for an opening, or until we had no more time.

"Did you bring it?" the Turian questioned, stepped closer.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" she avoided the question. Healthy paranoia given what I've heard of her story so far. Her voice was young, as they are, with pilgrims, and the accent was exotic. Artistic, in a way.

"They'll be here…" the Turian ran his hand along the side of her head, and down her shoulder. Fucking pig, I gave a low growl. "Where's the evidence…?" She slapped his hand away. Heh, atta girl. Take no shit.

"No way. The deal's off." The Turian bristled and the Salarians stood straighter. She noticed them draw their weapons. She immediately started to back away towards some crates, assessing the situation. She then pulled a grenade from her belt and tossed it. Diving to the side. It detonated almost immediately, but was like some kind of concussion grenade, gave off a shockwave that knocked the Salarians flat on their asses.

"Move, move, move! Open fire!" I shouted my orders to the squad.

"The Fu-" the Turian began to exclaim before a burst from my rifle struck him right between the legs, causing him to cry out and go limp as I finished him off with a burst to his other head. A shot from Garrus then put down a Salarian, but before the rest of us could fire at the other, a burst from a shotgun rang out, striking the Salarian center mass, killing him. The Quarian then stormed out from behind the crates and began repeatedly kicking the Turian's corpse, shouting.

"You filthy det kazaut piece of fre'eg! Bosh'tet!" she screamed out again with one final stomp at the dead Turian.

"I like her. She's got fire," Wrex whispered, chuckling. The Quarian then looked up, a three-fingered hand at first, reaching up to her vocalizer, as if she was embarrassed that we heard her outburst. But then she quickly raised her shotgun again, so I put my hands in the air.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Relax, you're safe now. My name's Commander Shepard, I'm with the Alliance. So are the other two humans. The Turian, Garrus, is a C-Sec officer. And the Krogan just wanted to kill Fist for his bounty. Are you ok?" I asked.

I knew of all the stigma against Quarians. And, something my parents both drilled into me, is that every time, stigmas are not only wrong, but stupid. Besides, I've met Quarians before. I learned some of their martial arts styles by a Quarian from the fleet both contracted and allowed to train N7. She seemed to be taken by surprise by my concern. That's either because of how long she's been on the run, how much the way others have treated her has already gotten to her, or, a bit of both. A pity.

"I know how to look after myself," she began confidently. And then, a bit more meekly, awkwardly. "Not that I don't appreciate the help…" She was slim, fit, as they have to be, working on their fleet. An hourglass figure with hips a bit wider than most human women. Damn it, John, stop focusing on her physical… traits, and the reason you needed to speak with her. Down boy!

"And we were more than happy to give it. Now, there was a reason we were looking for you in the first place. I've been looking for evidence to prove that the Spectre, Saren Arterius is a traitor. That trail led to you," I explained.

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But, please, can we go somewhere safe, first?"

"Right away, Ma'am. We'll take you to the Human embassy. Now, do you have a name?" I asked. I tried to peer through her mask, but the tint meant that I could only really see her bright, glowing eyes. I think I saw the silhouette of a small, thin nose, and maybe, just maybe, her cheeks shift as she smiled.

"Tali. Tali Zorah nar Rayya."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Few things to clear up. I didn't explicitly say it when Saren's hologram was around, but he does NOT have the very obviously visible Geth tech implanted in him. Not yet. Keeping it, I just couldn't honestly write a scene where the Council doesn't think those implants aren't sketchy as all hell. Won't say more about that. Also hoped you liked how I wrote how Shep dealt with the Council, kinda meant to imply that N7 have some measure of diplomatic training given their high status. And, of course, there's also Tali's curses. I know they weren't explained in this chapter and I don't have a glossary here, but if you don't know and don't want to search for Calinstel's glossary, don't worry, one of them is explained as an answer to a question next chapter, and I think that's how I'd prefer to go about the translation explanations. We'll see how all that pans out. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Spectre

We had safely escorted Tali to the embassy, having formed a circle around her for protection just in case Saren had any last-ditch efforts to take her out. If he did, they didn't try now. When we did arrive, Anderson seemed amused at the extra squad members I had picked up along the way. Even if they were temporary. Udina just looked annoyed. Again.

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? An assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many-" his eyes fell upon Tali and his brow furrowed. She noticed, and slumped a little, shying away. That's odd. So… vigorous right after the firefight, but here, shy? "Who's this? A Quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?" I've been having enough of this ass-hat.

"She has proof that will help us bring down Saren. I would've told you that if you let me speak and explain my goddamn self before jumping down my throat," I growled. Wrex chuckled, Ashley tried to suppress hers, Kaidan hid a smirk, and Garrus' mandibles flared a bit. Tali, telling by her change of stance, was shocked that I'd spoken like that. Living on the fleet, I know she wouldn't be used to people speaking against their 'superiors.' Even Anderson seemed a bit amused. But still.

"Shepard…" I nodded my… apology. Udina sighed.

"My apologies, Commander. This fiasco has me a bit on edge." Alright, I can give him credit for that. "Let's just start at the beginning, Miss…?"

"My name is Tali. Tali' Zorah nar Rayya," she introduced, bowing her head just slightly.

"We don't see many Quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?" Udina questioned. Hm, a politician who doesn't make it a point to know details about those he'd likely end up politicking with. The pilgrimage is after all, basic Quarian society.

"I'm on my Pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood," she explained.

"Have you found a fitting gift yet?" I asked, trying to help ease her, having someone who knows a bit about her people, and acting friendly, would be a big help in that sense.

"You know of it?" she asked, surprised. "Um, unfortunately… no. When I first set out, I was with a group of other Pilgrims. We would have separated after making port at Illium or some other planet, but instead, we had soon detected Geth activity on a remote world. Outside of the Perseus veil. Naturally, I, and the others, were curious. Any information on the Geth, how they've evolved, would be of great help to the fleet. We set down on this world and ambushed a lone Geth unit that was separated from its group. I disabled it and removed its memory core," she continued through her story.

"Wait, I thought Geth fried their memory cores when they died. A defense mechanism," Anderson questioned, confused.

"You're right, they do. But if you're quick, careful, and lucky, you can save small caches of data. Anyways, before we returned to the ship, we were attacked. We managed to escape, though… not without casualties. It was there I went over the memory core and found the proof you need. We landed on Illium, trying to send this information to the proper authorities. A few other pilgrims had stayed on the ship, waiting. Just as we gave up and were going back to the ship, it… exploded. Killing those inside. Assassin's ambushed us, killed more, and myself and another pilgrim were the only ones able to stowaway on a cargo ship headed to the Citadel. We had arrived a few days ago. C-Sec didn't believe us either… wanted us off the station within the day. We never got the chance. A sniper got me in the arm, and my friend in the abdomen. Still, he managed to run with me long enough to distract and lead the assassin into one of the incinerators… for me to escape…" My heart went out to her. She's another sole survivor, just like me. The guilt of someone having given their lives to protect her's. That's another thing I know. She seems too young and innocent to know those feelings.

"We believe you, Tali. Those deaths will mean something," I reassured her. She looked down a moment, and nodded, returning to the task at hand. I glanced back at the others. Wrex was hard to read, but I think I detected… sympathy? Respect? Ashley was easier to read, feeling sympathy for the Quarian, and Kaidan was even easier. Concern visible. Garrus' mandibles flared a bit, perhaps he heard something about this, maybe it's how he was first set on her path.

"I'm sorry. You need the information. While most of the core was wiped clean, I found this in its audio banks," she keyed her Omni-tool.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit," Saren pronounced.

"We got him!" I smirked. Garrus, Kaidan, and Ashley seemed pleased, as did Udina and Anderson.

"That's Saren's voice! This proves his involvement!"

"Can you prove that this came from a Geth data core? I fear the Council will be especially nit-picky," Udina asked.

"I can. Look, it's all Geth code," Tali showed a screen of numbers, coding. "Geth designations, units, everything."

"But what's the conduit he mentioned?" Kaidan questioned.

"It must be something to do with the beacon. Maybe Prothean tech… a weapon…" Anderson theorized.

"Wait, there's more," Tali interrupted. I had to resist giving off a bit of a laugh. Alright Billy May's, what else do you have for us? "Saren wasn't working alone." Tali keyed her omni-tool again, resuming the message.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers…" a woman's voice added. I felt another chill run up my spine. The same whispers and images in my head returned, the whispers louder. They kept repeating that name. Reapers.

"I don't recognize that other voice…" Udina muttered.

"And what did she mean about Reapers?" Anderson questioned.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed fifty-thousand years ago. They hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then vanished. At the very least, that's what the Geth believe," Tali explained.

"Sounds a bit far-fetched," Udina scoffed.

"No… no she's right. The beacon, those images are flashing again, the name Reapers keeps repeating in my head. What the beacon showed me was the Protheans being wiped out by them…," I murmured. Anderson's eyes widened a bit. Udina still seemed skeptical. Garrus and Wrex were out of the loop, so, not surprised they didn't know what to think, not yet. Tali just continued with her explanation.

"The Geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of synthetic life. They believe Saren knows how to bring them back."

"The Council is just going to love this…" Udina shook his head, grumbling.

"The Reapers are a threat to all of us. Regardless if the Council believes it, we need to tell them. If nothing else, we can convince them about Saren, and that should be all we really need to do," I stated.

"I agree. We need to present this right away," Udina nodded.

"Well, I'm coming along for the show. What about her? The Quarian?" Wrex asked.

"My name is Tali!" she defended. Wrex burst into a laugh.

"Speaking like that to a Krogan like me. You got guts, kid. A fire. I like you." Tali seemed a bit surprised.

"Well, Commander, you saw me in the alley. I can handle myself. And I can handle Geth. Let me come with you," she requested.

"What about your pilgrimage?" I asked first.

"The pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?" she asked rhetorically. I approve. "Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My pilgrimage can wait.

"Before I agree, I do need to ask some questions. First, I know the pilgrimage is for the young. And I won't allow someone below the Alliance's minimum fight. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one years, Commander," she answered confidently. Good thing translators are able to just take care of time and years as they're translating.

"Good. Second, I need to know what kind of Combat training you've had."

"Every pilgrim undergoes basic combat training with the Migrant Fleet Marines. I underwent combat engineer training. Given my father's status, my pilgrimage was delayed for additional training," she explained. So, father is of at least mild importance to the fleet. Let's hope it doesn't cause any political backfire. But, everything checks out.

"Then welcome aboard Tali," I grinned.

"Thanks," I could hear her smile as she stood with the rest of the crew. "You won't regret this." Hold on a second. Have I really just gotten three new, random people who I didn't even know two hours ago to join me in a mission against Saren? The hell?

"Come, we should see the Council immediately," Udina began walking towards the door. We just followed the Ambassador, once more, a protective circle around Tali, just to be safe. Fortunately, it still wasn't cramped in the elevator for the way up. In the Council chambers, I noticed that Tali was enamored by the artistry of the architecture, lighting, pretty much everything. I kept seeing her head dart around, gazing at the scenery. It was kinda cute. I frowned and forced the thought out of my head.

At the top of the several flights of stairs, no doubt symbolic, we still had to wait another ten minutes for the Council to finally come out and see us. It annoyed me, Udina, Anderson, Williams, Alenko, and Garrus. Valern was the first to speak, disinterested.

"We just concluded the hearing, Ambassador. I have a hard time believing you found proof within the same day."

"But if you do have proof," Tevos added, flashing a disapproving glare at the Salarian. "We should hear it nonetheless."

"Since the conclusion of the previous hearing, Commander Shepard picked up leads, and hunted them down. Passing over less important details, he confronted the Gang boss, Fist, who was learned to no longer be working for the Shadow Broker, but Saren. He had tricked a Quarian who had information linked to the Geth, and Saren." as Udina spoke, Sparatus scoffed at the mention of Tali. Tevos, being more observant, her eyes fell on Tali and raised a brow. I couldn't read what the Asari was thinking. Tali seemed discouraged by the scoff. But, nothing can really be done about that. "She had been set up in a meeting with Saren's assassins, not the Broker, as she believed. The Commander and his crew rescued her, and she willingly shared her evidence. I will allow her to step forward and present it." Udina stepped to the side. Tali seemed nervous. She glanced at me and I just gave her a nod.

"Can you state your name for the record?" Tevos asked.

"Uh… yes," Tali answered nervously as she took Udina's place. "My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"And how did you find your… evidence?" Valern questioned.

"On a remote world with Geth activity, outside the Perseus veil. We ambushed a lone unit and managed to preserve parts of its memory core. I can prove that the files I gathered are Geth code. Here," Tali keyed her Omni-tool and sent the code to a holo display in front of each Councilor. "Geth designations, unit names, Geth patterns. This is what we recovered." Tali keyed her Omni-tool again, and the audio log played.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit…" Saren's voice filled the room. The Councilor's paused. But the audio log continued.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers…" the woman's voice added. I saw recognition flash in Tevos' eyes. Tali stepped aside, allowing Udina to take front and center again.

"You wanted proof? There it is," he stated calmly. The Councilors shared a glance. Sparatus sighed.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status, and all efforts shall be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." I was a bit surprised that Sparatus was the one to say that.

"I recognize the other voice," Tevos added, confirming what I saw in her eyes. "The one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia." She seemed highly surprised.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"Matriarch Benezia was one of our most respected Matriarchs on Thessia. And one of our most biotically gifted. If her followers have turned as well, she is a formidable ally for Saren," she explained sadly.

"I'm more interested in these… Reapers. What do you know about them?" Valern changed topic.

"Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core. An advanced machine race that wiped out the Reapers, then vanished," Anderson answered.

"And for some reason, those same images I got from the beacon got far more… vivid, when I heard their name. As if something resonates," I added. "But, the Geth revere them, and believe Saren will use this, conduit, to bring them back."

"Do we have any idea what this Conduit is?" Valern questioned.

"Maybe a weapon, maybe a tool. We don't know yet. But I plan to find out. But if Saren and the Geth thinks it will bring back the Reapers, I suspect they'll tear the Galaxy apart searching for it," I answered.

"Listen to yourself," Sparatus scoffed again. "Machines that wiped out all life in the Galaxy? Impossible, it has to be. Where did they go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no evidence?"

"We only have a little bit of data, Councilor. I'd bet we only have a nugget of the full story. The why, how, what, everything. And, hell, hyper advanced machines? What if we haven't found evidence because they didn't want to leave any behind?" I argued. "True or false, Saren and the Geth need to be stopped. And you wanted more proof about Saren. I found it. If you want more proof about the Reapers, I'll find that too."

"I still suspect the Reapers to be a myth, a lie to bend the Geth to Saren's will," Valern dismissed.

"Fine, fine, whatever," I grumbled, not willing to waste my breath. "But Saren. Is. A threat."

"He's a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position," Sparatus dismissed. I burst into laughter.

"You don't think that's going to stop him, do you? He has an army of _Geth!_ Taking away his Spectre status just means he doesn't get to be as subtle! He can still do whatever the fuck he wants until someone stops him!"

"I agree with the Commander. That's not good enough!" Udina shouted. "You know he's hiding in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!" That wouldn't work, Udina. He's hiding, sending a fleet would just mean he always knows where not to be.

"A fleet cannot track down one man," Valern countered, essentially voicing my thoughts.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the region. Keep the Geth from attacking," Udina suggested.

"Or trigger a war with Terminus. We won't drag ourselves into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!" Sparatus argued. I raised a brow, I understand preferring to not start a war, but the Terminus systems are a bunch of individual, independent planets and small systems who've just given the Council the finger. They don't have advanced tech, they don't have grand fleets. They can't be that much of a threat. Regardless, I had a solution.

"Send me." Anderson shot me a nod, Udina turned, eyes wide before smirking, nodding himself. The Council paused again. Sparatus appeared flabbergast.

"The Commander's right," Tevos agreed. "There is a way to stop Saren without fleets or armies."

"No! It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres," Sparatus argued, almost… desperately. But if I was reading Valern right, which, albeit, it can be hard to read Salarians, especially politically adept ones, it was two against one.

"You don't have to send a fleet, and the Ambassador gets his Spectre. Win-win," I remarked. Tevos and Valern both gave Sparatus a look. The Turian's mandibles flared and I think he sighed. Then nodded. This was it. They each pressed a button on the console in front of them. Glancing to the sides, people were leaning against the railings in the areas off to the side, watching intently. Salarian, Human, Turian, and Asari.

"Commander Shepard. Step forward," Tevos stated clearly. Udina stepped back, and I took his place, standing tall and straight, hands behind my back. It occurred to me, this was history in the making. And I was its centerpiece. "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Valern crossed his arms over his chest as his turn to speak came.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol," Tevos continued. "The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." Now, Sparatus' turn.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of Galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the Galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first Human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species," Tevos complimented.

"I'm honored, Councilors."

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren," Valern began. "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him. All relevant files shall be sent to your embassy to help your investigation."

"I'll find him, Councilors. You have my word."

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned," Tevos ended. The Councilors began to leave, heading to I assume their private quarters and offices. I turned to the others. Kaidan and Ashley were smiling, Kaidan adding a thumbs-up. Wrex gave an approving nod. Anderson then put an arm around me in a half-hug.

"Congratulations, John. Absolutely fantastic. Heh, I can't help but wonder just how your mother is going to react to this," Anderson chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose I should expect to get a call soon."

"We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard. You'll need a ship, a crew, supplies…" I saw the gears turning in Udina's head. "And I'll contact the Alliance about getting you new weapons and armor. For you and your ground team."

"Before you send that request, Ambassador," I turned to the non-humans who had helped me with the investigation. "I know at some point or other you all expressed interest in helping me stop Saren. Well, you've all already helped immensely. I won't ask any more of you. If you wish to continue to follow me, I'll welcome you. If not, I thank you, and hope we'll meet again someday. This mission will no doubt be long, and dangerous. Highly dangerous. And it may very well push some of you to your limits. You can leave now, with pride, not shame, having had a hand in taking down Saren."

"I'll have turned in my badge to the Executor by the end of the day," Garrus stated confidently.

"I got nothing better to do. Should be fun," Wrex shrugged.

"As I said in the Embassy, Commander. I won't turn my back on this," Tali answered.

"My thanks to all of you." I turned back to Udina. "I know they're not Alliance, but can you see about getting them upgrades too?" I asked.

"Please, you don't need to do that. My weapons work just fine," Tali insisted.

"Tali, I won't allow any one of my crew to be underequipped. Like I said, our missions will be dangerous. I can't have one member of my ground team being at such a protective disadvantage. Please, accept the armor, accept the weapons," I insisted. She seemed to begin to argue, but paused, and just nodded.

"Don't bother with me, my weapons and armor are custom. I'm not giving them up," Wrex grumbled.

"Yes… well, what's your fee, Bounty hunter?" Udina asked first.

"You won't have to worry about that. I'm just doing this for the hell of it," Wrex dismissed. Well, that's good. And interesting.

"Hm. Yes, well, I'm sure the Alliance can arrange something for the others. Though I may require input for preferences later," Udina mused. "Oh, but, Shepard, you'll have access to Spectre level equipment. The top of the top line. Unfortunately, it's highly expensive. The Alliance won't pay for that. You'll need to build up some funds yourself. Between your Alliance paycheck, which will likely increase, and your new Spectre paycheck, you'll reach it. And I'd suggest arranging something with Barla Von."

"I'll be sure to do that," I nodded.

"Good. Anderson, come with me, I'll need your help setting this up," Udina requested.

"In the meantime, Shepard, you should have a few days before you're ready to set out. Celebrate a bit, set up a meeting with the Consort, I don't know," Anderson teased. Earning a few laughs from the humans, Garrus, and Wrex. I don't think Tali knew who she was.

"I'll think about it, sir," I chuckled. Anderson put a hand on my shoulder, smiling, giving it a reassuring shake before he followed Udina off.

"The Ambassador didn't even thank you. Is he not grateful?" Tali asked, confused.

"Bah, he's a politician. Frankly, I don't give a damn what he thinks," I remarked. Tali seemed to giggle a bit, but then my eyes fell on a face leaning against the wall by the stairs that led up here. A man smiling and clapping. The man who gave me my Star of Terra. "Just a moment," I requested as I moved through the others to stand in front of Kahoku. We both saluted each other at the same time.

"So, which one of us needs to tell the other to stand at ease? I don't know if a Spectre out ranks me or not," he joked.

"Why don't we just tell each other?" I suggested. Kahoku laughed again. We both stated the order to one another.

"Congratulations, Shepard. Helluva thing you did."

"Thank you, sir. And, if I may, why are you here?" Kahoku's eyes fell.

"Nothing pleasant. To make it worse, I'm getting stonewalled by bureaucratic assholes. One of my recon teams was investigating strange activity out in the traverse. We lost contact with them yesterday, and now I can't get clearance to check it out. Suddenly, it's a restricted area."

"I could check it out. Since I'm a Spectre now, I can give 'restricted area' the finger," I suggested.

"I appreciate that, Commander. I was running out of options. Thank you," Kahoku smiled. "Now, I'll send the information to Anderson, and he'll forward it to your ship when you get it. I won't keep you. Go on, you deserve some celebration." I gave Kahoku another salute and thanked him, then returned to… my crew.

* * *

"Who was that, Commander?" The Human woman, Ashley, I think, asked the Commander as he returned. I still have a hard time believing that I just witnessed history first hand. I'm even a part of it. I suppose the only thing I regret is my… outburst, when they saved me. It wasn't like me. That being said, being hunted for days, maybe even a week, and then him trying to… feel me up… I couldn't just contain it.

"Rear Admiral Kahoku. The man who pinned the Star of Terra on my chest," the Commander answered.

"The Star of Terra?" I asked, raising a brow beneath my mask.

"Haven't the Quarians heard of what the Commander's done?" Ashley responded before the Commander could answer, putting her question a bit bluntly, snidely. I saw the Commander raise a brow and frown at the woman.

"I'm… sorry. We're an insular society," I apologized meekly, wringing my hands a habit I've had as long as I can remember.

"Relax, Chief. The Quarians stopped paying much attention to the Galaxy outside their fleet once it collectively shat on them," The Commander stated. He knows? Understands? Defends it? And he treated me like a person, politely _asking_ me to join them after saving my life? Keelah, who is this man? But… what does 'shat' mean? "Simply put, Tali, I was given the medal for my actions during the Skyllian Blitz. But… it's not a story I wish to tell," I noticed what I perceived to be a flash of sadness in his eyes. Why is that? It must have been something heroic, shouldn't he be proud? I heard a small 'hrumph' from the Krogan, Wrex, understanding, I believe.

"So what next, Commander?" the other Human man, Kaidan, asked.

"Well, sounds like we're now off-duty. That means two things. First, that means, no more 'Commander.' Just Shepard. Second, I say we hit a bar. Suggestions, Garrus?"

"Even if it wasn't for the fact they're probably still cleaning up the bodies, I wouldn't suggest Chora's Den. The other closest bar, that isn't the calm and boring one here on the Persidium, is Flux."

"Sounds good. Let's go then," The Com- Shepard, stated.

"Uh, in our armor?" Ashley remarked.

"Hm? Oh… yeah that's a good point. Alright! Ashley, Kaidan, and I will head back to the Normandy, stow our weapons and armor. Garrus, Wrex, I assume you both are either comfortable as you are, or have a place to head back to change. Tali, you're free to tag along with us," he offered.

"I'll turn in my badge while I'm at it," Garrus remarked.

"You sure you want to give it up that easily?" Shepard clarified.

"Absolutely," Garrus nodded confidently.

"Then we'll meet you there."

"I'm just fine as I am. I'll just head there now," Wrex grumbled.

"Sounds good, Wrex. Tali, you can go with Wrex, or come see the Normandy," he offered. He was allowing me to come see his ship? Or, Captain Anderson's ship? My curiosity was piqued. Spending so long amongst the old and run-down ships of the Migrant Fleet, I wanted to see what the top of the line looked like.

"If it's not too much trouble… I would like to see it," I answered hesitantly. Shepard then… smiled, reassuringly. I was surprised again. Ever since I left the fleet, I had been treated only with suspicion and contempt. That is, until I came to Dr. Michel, but she was also a Doctor. But this man hasn't even given what I am a second thought.

"Then by all means, I'd be happy to show you. Come on, stick close. I don't want anyone giving you trouble." Surprised, again, I fell in behind the group. We made it to the elevator in relative silence, but Kaidan seemed to have an idea to lessen said silence.

"So, Tali, I don't think Ashley, or I formally introduced ourselves. I'm Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko," he greeted, a smile himself, offering a hand. Another human acting nice? I accepted the hand.

"Glad to meet you, Lieutenant," I returned.

"Bah, don't bother," he chuckled. "If Shepard's dropping Commander, at least while off duty, you can just call me Kaidan." I just nodded in reply.

"Ashley. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. But like the others, you can drop the rank." Ashley introduced, a bit more quickly, she didn't offer a hand, but did nod. I noticed Shepard glance back, giving an approving nod to himself at the other's actions.

"So, earlier, you said you were on your… pilgrimage? What is that?" Kaidan asked. The elevator stopped, and we stepped out, following Shepard towards the Wards, and C-Sec academy, where they would find another elevator to their docking platform. I was again surprised by the curiosity, but also welcomed it. A pleasant change of pace.

"It's a rite of passage amongst my people. When we are reaching adulthood, we must leave the fleet and everything we know and set out into the Galaxy. Our purpose is to find something that will be useful to the fleet. A food source, a new ship, other resources, technology, or even knowledge new to the fleet. Anything that proves we won't' be a burden to our people on the Flotilla," I explained.

"I'm more curious about those words she shouted at the dead Turian," Ashley chuckled. I began wringing my hands again as we walked. Which wasn't helped by the fact that I was noticing stares and sneers directed my way by others on the Persidium.

"I'm… sorry you heard that. It wasn't proper," I apologized meekly. Shepard let out a bark of laughter.

"Please, you don't need to worry about being proper with us. We're soldiers. And Soldiers can be some of the rowdiest sons of bitches I know. Besides, that Turian was fucking disgusting."

"W-well…" I chuckled awkwardly. "Det kazuat, the first insult. I essentially called him, a living sack of excrement."

"I don't think the living part applied much anymore," Ashley joked morbidly. My stomach fell as that impacted. My steps faltered. Shepard noticed, looked back, frowned, then shook his head at Ashley, signaling not to do that. There was an uncomfortable silence as we passed from the Persidium to the Wards. I heard Shepard whisper something, and then Kaidan asked another question. Internally, I thanked him for whatever suggestion he gave the Lieutenant.

"So, what about your name? It's longer than any human names. Does it mean something?" My gaze shot up a bit and my head tilted to the side, slightly. Tali Zorah isn't a long name, why does he think it would mean something? Then I realized. Right, he means, nar Rayya.

"Oh! Yes. Er, no. Tali is just my name, Zorah is my clan name. Nar means 'of the.' The Rayya was the ship I was born on and grew up on. One of our three live ships," I answered. "Once I return to the fleet with a suitable pilgrimage gift, I will present it to the captain of a ship of my choosing. If the Captain accepts, I will be welcomed into the crew, and change my name to Tali Zorah vas, and then the name of the ship. Vas meaning, 'crew of.'"

"Ah, I see. So, in the meantime, since you'll be serving with us, for the sake of an example, let's just say we're working on the Normandy. Would that make you Tali Zorah vas Normandy until you returned home?" Kaidan continued.

"No, no," I laughed lightly. "Quarians only name themselves as being the crew of a non-Quarian ship when they have left Quarian society, willingly or not, permanently.

"Speaking of Pilgrimage, Tali, let us know if you find something while we're out there that you think would make a good gift. We'll do what we can to help," he offered.

"Shepard, please, you don't need to-" I began to protest.

"Tali, you're risking your life to help us stop a damn madman. Making sure you stay alive, and helping you find a pilgrimage gift along the way is the absolute least we could do," he remarked casually. After just a small while longer, we arrived at the Normandy's docking bay. I studied the ship immediately. It was a sleek design, and its paint job was also pleasing on the eyes. The Alliance could afford not only to make high quality ships but make them look good too. Unlike the Migrant Fleet. These days, we fail in both regards.

"Ain't she a beauty?" Shepard remarked, pausing a moment. "Come on, I messaged ahead. You said you're an engineer, right? If you want, Engineer Adams will be happy to answer any questions you have about the drive core." I was, following a certain pattern, surprised, yet again. Willing to share details about an advanced ship to someone who was just this morning, being called a vagrant and a thief? I quickly heard Ashley whisper something to Shepard, to which he just frowned, and raised a brow to her. I sighed internally, there's something more akin to my expectations.

"She's coming on board, Williams. And she is welcome to ask questions about the drive core specs. We can trust her," he answered firmly. That answer was, on the other hand, not akin to my expectations. I'm quickly learning that if I'm going to be a member of this crew, my expectations will need to change drastically.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," she answered formally, a bit embarrassed, I think, that Shepard decided not to grant her a subtle answer, revealing her.

"You just keep putting that foot in your mouth, Williams," Kaidan muttered under his breath. I barely heard it myself, and I'm standing beside him. It wasn't surprising that she didn't. Or at least chose to ignore it. Yet, somehow, I perceive that could be unlike her. And, putting a foot in your mouth? An odd phrase. We passed through the docking tube and into the Normandy's airlock. We waited for its decontamination cycle to run its course. Once again, my mind wandered to a familiar spot. Wondering what… things feel like. The metal, the doors, the control panels, other things I could take in here, decontaminate, remove my gloves, and just feel. But I shook the thoughts out of my mind as the cycle finished. It would be risky, and unnecessary. So long as those on the Fleet are unable to regularly do such things, I shouldn't allow myself to do so either. Fleet first, Tali second. The doors opened, and we stepped through. We were greeted with an applause. Rather, Shepard was.

"Congratulations, Commander," a man's voice called from the bridge. A bearded man wearing a hat and turned in his chair. Wouldn't it just be easier to stand? An older woman, her hair greying slightly, stepped forward and hugged Shepard. She congratulated him with much familiarity.

"I don't recall mentioning this in my message," he chuckled.

"Are you trying to say that the induction of the First Human Spectre wouldn't be immediately broadcast throughout the Alliance?" the pilot joked.

"You have a point, Joker. Ah shit, wait, that means-" he was cut off by his Omni-tool alerting him to a call.

"Want me to tell mom you said hi, Chakwas?" Shepard asked the older woman with a slight smirk on his face. She just nodded, chuckling. "Will do then. Now, I should probably go ahead and take this. Kaidan, can you show Tali to engineering?"

"Will do."

"Thanks, I'll let you know when I'm ready." Shepard started to walk further into the ship as he answered the call. It's strange, with him walking away, I suddenly started to feel very out of place on this ship full of humans.

"Tali? Is it? Shepard mentioned you when he notified us he was returning to the ship. I'm Dr. Karin Chakwas," the older woman introduced. I noticed the crowd was starting to part a bit, seeing some measure of normalcy again. I wondered if the Doctor was aware of what she was doing. Either way, I thanked her for it. And Ashley was already heading her own way to prepare.

"Pleased to meet you, doctor. You seem to know the Commander very well," I remarked.

"Know him? Ha! I was the Doctor who helped his mother birth him. And then sequentially patching all his scrapes and bruises during childhood," she laughed. I couldn't help but chuckle at the image of such a clearly capable soldier falling victim to minor injuries. "Yes, well, I won't keep you. You don't need to listen to an old woman's ramblings about the Commander when you could potentially bury Adams with questions on our drive core. Hmph, I say that like he wouldn't enjoy answering them," she mused to herself. "Anyways, it was good meeting you." Chakwas ended, taking her leave. Keelah, are nice humans the majority? Or does Shepard just surround himself with the minority?

* * *

Well, mom had been bursting with both pride and excitement. I think I spent most of that call just trying to get her to relax. As I was getting changed, I recalled several things. One, Ashley questioning letting Tali on board. It's something I should have expected from someone at some point but was nonetheless disappointed. I'll need to work on that with her if she's ever going to work well in this team. Hell, I think I noticed her look at Garrus and Wrex suspiciously too. If it causes problems, I may need to just get her off the team. Second, Tali's reaction to the Turian assassin's death hitting home. I'll need to sit her down and talk to her about that. I haven't met anyone who doesn't feel somewhat conflicted or sickened even after at least their first kill in the military or for self-defense purposes. Some people can get past it, some people can't. I need to know which Tali is before we set out. If she can get past it, then no problems, no limitations. If she can't, well, then that will just leave her with missions where the Geth are involved. I have no doubt that she may actually feel pleasure from killing Geth. Third, I'll need to take everyone to a firing range before we set out. I need to see where they all stand with each weapon category. See where they need to improve.

Before long, I was out of my armor, and in an N7 T-shirt and jeans. When meeting back up with the others, Tali accepted the offer of stowing her shotgun on board, just keeping her pistol holstered on her thigh. We were all carrying pistols, after all. As for Tali, she had been absolutely enamored by the drive core. How did I know? Almost the entire way to Flux she was exclaiming her amazement at its capabilities. I might have encouraged it, given that I had meant to talk to Adams about it myself, and that I had a grasp of what she was saying. That being said, I think she had a firmer grasp of the finer points than myself. The technicalities of drive cores are a bit more of a hobby for me than anything else after all. Just outside of the entrance of Flux, was a woman I had messaged to meet us just outside the bar. I had something she wanted, after all.

"Ms. Wong? Got something for you," I called out as we approached, pulling the OSD out of my pocket. "This is straight out of Fist's office. No clue what's on it, but could probably be useful," I informed. She accepted it gratefully.

"You got Fist's files? This could be bigger than I could have hoped!" She then began keying her Omni-tool. "Here, a finder's fee and extra." she transferred the credits and my own Omni-tool beeped, confirming the transfer.

"Thank you, Emily. Now, you seem like a good reporter. Trying to expose corruption rather than making some dramatic spiel of which Celebrity is going out with who, or pregnant with which celebrity's kid, or just trying to stir shit up. So, I think I'd be willing to offer future cooperation. Like an exclusive after my full… investigation is over," I suggested.

"An exclusive?! You'd talk to me before anyone else?!" she exclaimed, eyes going wide. "That would be worth… a lot! I'd be more than happy to compensate you for every single credit. I can't give it to you right this moment, but I'll let my publisher know, and they'd be more than willing to arrange it. Thank you, Commander!"

"A pleasure, Wong. I'll be keeping an eye out for your story." She nodded and excused herself. I glanced back at the others. "What? If I need to pay for Spectre grade weapons out of my own pocket, I'd rather save up and gather some rather than take out… five billion loans or some shit," I shrugged. The others chuckled or said nothing as we entered Flux, the bouncer just giving a nod, and, unfortunately, a longer glance at Tali. At this rate, I'll be telling someone off by the end of the night. We found Wrex sitting at his own table, taking a swig of his drink, probably Ryncol. We took seats around the same table. Garrus then joined us just after. He was out of his clothes and wearing a more casual Turian outfit. Plain sleeved shirt and pants. Curiously, he kept his visor on him. Our waitress came to see to us a moment later. Something was certainly on her mind, distracting her. She quickly took our orders then left, hurriedly confirming for Tali that they have triple-filtered dextro alcohol for the uncommon Quarian patron. That being said, Tali started with a water.

"Something seems off about her," Ashley bluntly remarked when the waitress had left.

"I recognize her. Her sister is helping a friend of mine, Detective Chellick, with an investigation. It's got her in Chora's Den," Garrus explained quietly. "She doesn't know, but she has been trying to convince her sister to come back working at Flux." I noticed Tali seemed to start at Chellick's name. Made her shift uncomfortably. Hm…

"What kind of investigation? Maybe I could help while we're still here. She can get her sister out of harm's way, and C-Sec can catch it's criminal."

"Sure," Garrus shrugged. "It's about an arms and mod supplier. Don't know many of the other details. We can see him sometime tomorrow if you want."

"Sounds like a plan to me. And speaking of C-Sec, think you could help us borrow a firing range for a few hours? I want to assess everyone, see what you're all good at, see what needs work." Garrus barked out a quick laugh.

"Shepard, you're a Spectre. Spectres have their own private gun range. I'd suggest using Avina to guide you, but no one likes using Avina. So, I'll just ask Chellick to pull up directions while we're helping him out." As Garrus finished, the waitress returned and handed out the drinks. Ashley called out our toast.

"To the first Human Spectre!"

* * *

We began leaving the bar hours after. Most of us, worse for the wear. Tali was a bit nervous to try alcohol just yet, so we didn't push it. Wrex had probably had more than all of us combined, and he looked absolutely the same as when we arrived. Ashley got full on shit-faced, Kaidan, just barely in better shape. Garrus on the other hand was in a similar position to myself. Having had some alcohol but hadn't quite gone as over the top as the others. I'm not sure about Garrus' reasons, but as for me? I'd had to be careful with it ever since Akuze. I don't want to end up drinking myself into stupors all over again. So, I was sober enough to lead those not so fortunate out of the bar, then it occurred to me. The hell are our sleep arrangements? I quickly sent a message to Anderson, as I wasn't sure everyone would be able to get sleep with the current sleeper pod schedules on the Normandy.

Fortunately, Anderson booked several rooms at a hotel. In the Wards, rather than the Persidium. Save some creds, and also, a better chance that they won't turn up their noses and refuse to allow Tali inside. Though, Garrus would just be able to go back to his own place. Save the creds for another room.

"Alright, Anderson got us some rooms at a hotel not far from here. You're free to head on home, Garrus. Here," I quickly transferred contact info to his Omni-tool, receiving the same information of his. "I'll send you a message sometime in the morning for us to go see Chellick." Garrus nodded then gave a quick farewell, heading out in his own direction. As for myself, I quickly input the directions, and we found ourselves at the entrance before much longer. I quickly checked in with the receptionists, and everyone got their rooms keyed to their Omni-tool. Though both Kaidan and Ashley struggled to hold it in place for the machine to properly imprint the information. And it wasn't lost on me that the receptionist was eying Tali behind a fake smile and appeared a bit nervous with Wrex. The Krogan helped me carry the drunk humans to their rooms, as they were both about to pass out themselves. Once done, Wrex just huffed and went his own way. Tali had hung around to make sure they were both ok herself, so now that just left us in the hallway. Instinctively, as for some reason, I was feeling protective of her, I made an offer.

"I'll walk with ya to your room if you want."

"Oh, thank you, Shepard. That… would be nice," she answered. I smiled with a nod and walked with her as she quietly repeated the numbers of the doors out loud as she searched for her own.

"People haven't been giving you much trouble have they? I've been keeping an eye out, but some things can still slip by me," I asked. She glanced to the side, her head tilted questioningly. Then it went a bit straighter as she realized.

"Oh… It's fine, Shepard. I've gotten used to it," she answered.

"Hey," I put a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to surprise her, she almost moved to slap it away, before relaxing. "Just because you've gotten used to it, doesn't mean you should. If someone's being a… Det kasrat? To you? I want to know so I can shut them the hell up," I remarked. Tali burst into laughter at my butchering of her word.

"Shepard, I'm-" she laughed again. "I'm sorry, I'm grateful for what you said, but… what?" I smiled internally. I might have intentionally butchered the word. "It's pronounced like this. Det," I repeated the word and she continued. "Kaz." Repeated again. "Ooh, at. Det Kazuat." I repeated the word to her. "That's better," she chuckled. "Ancestors, what would father think saying such things?"

"Well, I promise to not tell him," I joked. We finally arrived at her room and she opened the door. Then closed it.

"That can't be right. No," she murmured.

"What? Something wrong?" I raised a brow. She opened it again, letting me see inside.

"It… it shouldn't be like that! All I need is a small mattress, or a cot. I don't need… this! Those credits could be so much better spent than a few… luxuries," Tali argued. Now I just smirked. All inside the room was a single bed, a view screen, a desk, a bathroom, and a drawer. The bed itself having those large hotel pillows and those thick, white hotel blankets.

"Tali, you are now a part of my crew. Again, you are putting yourself in harm's way to stop a rogue Spectre from leading the Geth through the Galaxy. You were the one who gave us the evidence needed to start this after all! You earned this. This isn't the Migrant Fleet. If you don't use the room, it will just sit empty for the night, or some guy who takes all this for granted will snag it. We're not on the Migrant Fleet. You can accept a luxury offered to you without guilt of having taken said luxury from any other one of your people. Come on, do it as a favor to me," I insisted. Tali began to argue, but just stopped. "I'll order you if I have to," I joked. She giggled, shaking her head.

"Alright, I'll stay."

"Good. I hope someday you can forgive me for forcing you to spend the night in a nice, comfy bed rather than sleeping on the cold floor somewhere," I teased. She just laughed again. I really like her laugh. "Good night, Tali."

"Good night, Shepard." I left her room and then noticed something odd. As I walked away, I was smiling. Genuinely smiling. Not the momentary reassuring smile, or the one you may crack from a joke. But instead, well, I hadn't felt this way since Akuze.

Happy.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Few things that need to be said. First thing is for everyone. Second thing is just for the new guys. Third, is discord server information. First off, Tali's story is legit. It's straight out of her Homelands comic, few details left out, like names, and something from her Father that I'll come back to during the ME2 story. Her age is also legit. ME3 codex gives the year of her birth, and it's also on the ME timeline. Second, here you can see an example of me twisting the story just a bit to make it logically fit. ME1 had that gear drop system, though, that obviously wouldn't work well in an actual narrative sense. So, the Alliance sensibly making sure their Spectre and his team was well prepared. And, of course, it's not like Udina or even Anderson could have made the instantaneous call that The Normandy, being the highly valuable prototype, was just handed off to Shepard. Hence, the delay that leaves them with the hotel stay. And I'm balancing the fine line between keeping Ashley's actual sympathy that she does have, with her distrust and racism towards the non-humans. I hope you guys enjoy that balancing act as well as my little additions such as you saw this chapter and will see next chapter as well. Anyways, to end off. just despises links for some reason, so, I can't just put an invite link here. If you have Discord, send me a friend request. MakoGT#5797, and I'll get you into my server. Mostly pretty chill, talk shit and what-not. Do that, or I'll try and see if a Discord link will work in my profile bio here on . Whatever works, right?**


	6. Normandy

Everyone seemed to sleep well that night. Least, from what I can tell. However, some of us didn't exactly wake up very well. We humans had returned to the Normandy for our gear, and so Tali could get her shotgun back, and had just met up back with Garrus at the C-Sec academy. Well, Wrex was waiting in the main lobby, as well as Ashley, who wasn't interested much in the details. I had given some friendly encouragement to Tali so that she would join us in seeing Chellick. What I didn't tell her, is that one, I wanted to confirm my suspicion that he had something to do with her being unable to pass off her information sooner. Further, if true, I wanted to call him out, just trying to make up for all the bad she was given the moment she left the fleet. Finally, Garrus was done leading us through the C-Sec offices, and he opened a door labeled 'Chellick.' Garrus stepped through first.

"Ah, Garrus. Thought you turned in your badge," the Turian greeted. "And… Commander Shepard? That's a surprise." I followed Garrus in, Kaidan behind me, Tali behind him, slinking behind a bit, trying not to be noticed. But given Chellick is a detective, that made him notice. He peered to the side a bit. "I thought I told you and your friend to get off this station days ago." Well, that confirmed it. My brows furrowed, and I leaned forward, my hands on his desk.

"She's with me, Chellick. She and her friend weren't lying about the information they had. Your disbelief got her friend killed and almost got her killed. If that had happened, we wouldn't have been able to prove that Saren went rogue. So, I advise you show her more respect than that. She volunteered to help us save a galaxy full of people like you without hesitation." I removed myself from the table. Tali was staring at me, her glowing eyes wide underneath that mask. Kaidan was surprised himself, and Garrus flared his mandibles.

"My… apologies, Commander…" Chellick murmured, understanding what I just told him, realizing he'd almost cost us. "What can I do for you?"

"Remember that case you told me about? Jenna, in Chora's Den? We were at Flux last night and Shepard noticed her sister's unease. He thought he could do something while we wait for him to get a ship that can get Jenna out of harm's way," Garrus explained.

"We're doing this for her safety and her sister," I added firmly.

"While I'm thankful for the offer of help, this case doesn't require a Spectre's aid. We are keeping a close eye on her," Chellick tried to reassure.

"Well, you're getting a Spectre's help. You don't need her to get whatever information you need. You know, replace her with, say, a trained professional?" I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, fine. I have contingencies, she was just my first option. I'll cut her loose, get her out of Chora's Den without any strings. But, as you offered help, I need something to wrap up the investigation. I'm trying to track down an illegal arms producer. All I need is some product to trace back to the source. Thanks to Jenna, I know there's a seller on the Citadel. If you'd be willing to meet with a Krogan, Jax, make a trade with him, and bring them back, the case will be closed. No arrests, else the source will just lock down and hide," Chellick explained.

"That sounds like something we can do," I nodded. I'd take Garrus and Wrex to the deal. Anyone else might look out of place. And I'd need to hide the N7 on my armor. Fortunately, that is a very easy thing to do. There's a plastic rectangle we have that conceals it. It works, if lacks… elegance.

"Good. You'll actually find Jax just in the lower markets by Chora's den. I'll send word through our channels that you're the buyer. Now, you will need some solid credit chits for the transaction. Our req officer will get you a briefcase of what you need, I'll message ahead," Chellick continued. I just nodded and began to leave, the others following, though Garrus gave a verbal farewell.

"Thank you, Shepard," Tali whispered.

* * *

The meeting with Jax had gone over almost suspiciously smooth. Yet, we made it back without any hassle. Now, we were just in a C-Sec shuttle we borrowed; yes, officially borrowed, over to the Spectre firing range. Curiously, yet, unsurprisingly, located within a lower level of the Citadel Tower. Along the way, Udina had called, asking about weapons and armor preferences for Garrus and Tali. Garrus explained that while his armor as an officer was light, he preferred something more in the middle. Something that's strong yet mobile, and decent shields. As for weapons, he was a skilled sniper, and his visor was designed to help that skill, but he also preferred using ARs when too close for the sniper. And as for a pistol, he'd be happy with whatever.

And for Tali, Quarian armor really only comes in one form. Light. More devoted to shields and mobility, functionality then strength. That being said, heavier armors do exist for them, but with their environment suits, it actually becomes more of a commitment, and something trained for. Metal plates and ballistic fibers built into the suit. So, Tali will be getting the lighter, still effective ballistic meshes that can be attached to the outside of her suit before combat, as well as a newer, high end shield generator. As for her weapons, a better, newer shotgun and pistol. As well as my own suggestion, despite her protests, a new Omni-tool. Higher end then what the fleet has and should only make her perform even better against Geth.

Before much longer, we arrived at the range. At first, a part of me was surprised to not see any others around, but, on the other hand, I do suppose Spectres spend most of their time out and about, rather than on the Citadel. I scanned through the control panels and found an interesting option. It was actually something to help a Spectre assess a ground team. I would select a specific weapon from a category for them all to use, and something akin to a conveyor belt would transfer that exact model to each section of the firing range. It would then move the targets to best assess their effective range and maximum range, as well as overall efficiency. Then, it would calculate that against similar assessments made specifically to the gun, before making an overall assessment. I lined everyone up just behind the range. My back was to the targets as I faced them. I began pacing back and forth in front of them as I started to explain.

"Alright everyone, this is simple. I want to see what you all can do. I will assign you all with a basic weapon from the four main categories. Pistol, rifle, shotgun, and sniper. You will be provided with the model. You will shoot the targets with that weapon until the program has finished your assessment. You will then repeat the process for each weapon category. I understand that some of you, if not all, are more proficient with one weapon type rather than another. That's fine, just give me your best here today. Alright? Alright. First off is simple, pistols. The weapon everyone first learns," I remarked. Everyone took their positions. As I requested from the program, a standard issue Edge pistol was distributed amongst the others. "Ready?" I paused. "Begin," a buzzer went off, followed by gunfire. I continued pacing, watching, seeing where each mark landed on their target. I noticed that Ashley was firing her pistol considerably more than the others. She was pacing it less. I think I heard her curse once or twice as her gun overheated. Wrex and Tali were both firing slower than Ashley, but faster than the others. At about the same pace. Though I noticed Wrex's targets were more consistently closer to the bulls-eye. Garrus and Kaidan, however, both of them were firing their pistols slower. Yet, were consistently hitting the mark with each one. Neither of them will ever overheat their pistols at this rate, and each shot is counting. Both of them, and maybe Wrex, are probably the best with pistols in this group.

"Good work," I called out reassuringly. "I can see some room for improvement amongst some of you, but with practice and a bit of guidance, that should fix itself right up. Next, Assault Rifles. M-7 Lancer." They were distributed, and I gave them the all clear. The gunfire was certainly more rapid now. Hm, good, no one's just keeping their finger down on the trigger. It's all bursts. Mostly, looks like slowish controlled bursts. Ashley and Wrex were both doing very well here, Garrus, not sure if barely behind, or tied with them. Kaidan and Tali were shooting faster but hitting less of what they need to. Tali more than Kaidan. Again, that can be worked on.

"Alright, same criticism as last time. Just gonna add, short, controlled bursts. These guns go wild when you just hold down the trigger. It doesn't take much to put one enemy down. Save the ammo, recoil, and cooldown for the next guy," I recanted. Now, a basic storm was being distributed while the Lancers were placed in the return slot. There would be some additional programming for this assessment. It would carefully monitor how each of the squad had their weapons aimed and use some equations I don't understand to compare with how the spread all lines up. I nodded to myself that now, Tali and Wrex were both leading the pack, so to speak. Tali fired less frequently than Wrex but wasn't overheating. And it looked like most if not all pellets were impacting the target. Wrex, firing faster, wasn't overheating himself either. As if he knew exactly how to tread the line. Suppose he does have centuries of experience. As for the others, Garrus, Kaidan, and Ashley were overheating their shotguns here and there. I noticed they had fewer marks on their targets, but I'm not sure if that's because of less opportunities to fire, or lacking aim.

"Not bad again. Just remember, pace those shots. A weapon overheat can mean death on the battlefield," I reminded. "Now, snipers. Even today, with all the software and VI's you can put in a sniper to help, it's one of the hardest weapons to master. Give me your best, but like before, don't beat yourself up if you struggle. I don't need a full team of expert snipers after all," I encouraged. I received several nods as they returned their shotguns and received a basic Avenger sniper. The range for these targets would be larger than the others. As using a Sniper Rifle at AR or Pistol range is normally not a very smart thing to do. There are occasional exceptions, if you're the farthest back in your fireteam, and drawing the least fire, sure, but one needs to be careful. You can't let yourself get tunnel vision down that scope. Makes it very easy for someone to sneak around and just fuck you right over from behind. At that point, just put a Gibus on your head and label yourself as a free shovel kill.

As I watched, I noticed that Garrus was visibly doing the best of all the others. He was quickly hitting his mark, exactly dead center, and hasn't overheated yet. I was a bit surprised to see that Ashley seemed to be doing second best here. Kaidan, Tali, and Wrex don't seem to have ever received any sniper training or used one before. So, I was less surprised to see inaccuracies or overheats from them.

"Alright everyone, good work today. I can certainly work with this," I nodded reassuringly. "Now that this is all over, I'm going to designate you all as being one of the squad's experts with specific types of firearms, according to the programs assessment and my own little input. Your job, when off duty, will be to help those less proficient get better with that kind of weapon. There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't improve ourselves as we hunt down Saren. So," I trailed off as I looked at the VI's assessment. For pistols, it labeled Garrus, Kaidan, and Wrex as experts, though Wrex… I wasn't sure. I felt like I needed to see him use pistols more to make a full assessment of his abilities. But, I doubt I'll see him use pistols in the field, hardly ever.

"Garrus, Kaidan, you're our pistol experts. Wrex, you're… in a strange spot. I don't quite know what to make of it," I explained.

"Ha, guess I have a few tricks they never taught you in N7 eh?" Wrex remarked.

"Suppose not. Alright, you can help pass on those tricks then. I'll trust you," I nodded. I checked the computer again. "Alright, next, rifles. Ashley, Wrex, and Garrus, you're the experts here." More nods from the three of them. Then I moved onto shotguns. "Now, Tali and Wrex. This one goes to the both of you. Lotta people assume that shotguns can basically just be a careless hip fire. I didn't see that from anyone here today, but there are tricks I think you can teach the others to improve." I noticed Tali perk up to see that she was called out as being one of the most skilled shotgun users in the squad. Good, grow that confidence. I'd add, 'don't let it grow into overconfidence,' to that thought, but I don't think that would be possible for her. I looked back at the computer.

"Garrus, the sniper goes all to you. Ashley, you did well, but you also need a bit more work. I want you to work with Garrus on sniping a bit more frequently so that you can go ahead and help him train the others. Understood?" Ashley stood straight with her hands behind her back.

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Now, pat yourselves on the back. You all did well here today. But before we leave, I have one more request. If you and others were labeled as an expert in a weapon category here today, I want you to work a bit with the other experts, figure out if there's any tricks one of you has the other doesn't and vice versa. It'll only make you that much better." I got acknowledgements from everyone. "Good. We'll take the shuttle back to C-Sec, and you'll all be dismissed to go do whatever for the rest of the day." We returned to the shuttle and began returning to the C-sec academy. Before too long, we arrived, and the squad started to split. Though Tali lingered, unsure, wringing her hands.

"Shepard, I don't have anywhere to go…" she stated. I just gave her a reassuring smile. Hm, I also don't know if I want her walking around where asshats could just go and berate her for just existing.

"You can go back to the Normandy if you want, talk with Adams," I suggested. I'd message ahead again to make sure she was expected. She tilted her head to the side.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. I'd like to keep my crew happy. If for you, that means having an advanced drive core to fawn over, well, I'm all for it," I remarked. I think she smiled under that mask as she thanked me. I wonder what her smile looks like… stop it John, you know she can't do that. I led her back to the elevator so that C-Sec would leave her alone, and parted ways with a wave of the hand. As for what I wanted to do? Well… I know the Consort doesn't just fuck her clients. Sometimes all she does is talk to them and give advice. I haven't exactly let it show, but this is a big task. I got a lot of people counting on me, and, well… that doesn't exactly seem to have gone well before. Akuze, Elysium, even. As I've thought before, I was just the lone survivor yet again. I had a lot of credits stored up, so, maybe I could get an appointment today. We'll see, I suppose.

I meandered up to the Persidium and found myself making my way to the Consort's… hm, not sure what to call it. A mix between a spa and a brothel? The greater was an Asari, younger, I'd suspect. Probably in her maiden years. That would still give her triple digits. She wore a dress that revealed a flat, toned abdomen and thin arms. Plus showed a bit of cleavage, which, for this Asari, was ample. It caused that thought to appear at the back of my head, it had been a while after all. But… I don't know. I'm generally just not that comfortable with something so… casual.

"Welcome, I am Nelyna," the Asari smiled warmly. "I don't recognize you as one of our expected clients today. Would you like me to see when the Consort will be able to meet with you?" Hm, well, if later today or tomorrow, or, sometime before we leave, that would be alright.

"Hm, alright," I shrugged. "Commander John Shepard, Council Spectre," I stated.

"Oh my, I heard about that. Looking to celebrate? Let's see, you should hear something in… about three or four months." What.

"Uh… yeah, well, by that time what I was looking for probably won't do me much good," I muttered. "Bit much of a wait for me." Jesus, I don't believe for a second that so many people are scheduled with the intent of nothing more than talking to her. Fucking hell how many people does this Asari screw? Her vagina must be wider than a morbidly obese Elcor.

"Well, that's not for me to judge," Nelyna chuckled. "I have your name and you'll be contacted nonetheless. Though, if you wish, I might be able to work you in sometime today or tomorrow with one of our other women?" she suggested.

"No, no thanks. _That's_ not actually what I'm looking for," I answered.

"Oh? Well, we do have plenty of men as-" I quickly raised my hands defensively.

"No! No, that is a definite no. No thank you. I didn't mean anything remotely like _that_ either." Nelyna chuckled again.

"Well, then I hope that you will return again in the future. We always enjoy seeing new clients," she smiled warmly again. I was turning to leave when she raised a brow and put a hand over a comm link in her ear. Or… the membrane… thing… by her head tentacle… things, that works like an ear.

"Yes, Sha'ira?" Well, that's surprising. I couldn't hear the Consort on the other end of the link. "Yes. Of course, mistress." Nelyna looked up at me again, noticing I had paused. "Huh. It appears the Consort has taken notice of you. She'd like to meet with you now."

"Hm. Alright then…" I remarked.

"Just head upstairs. The door on the very end. She'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Nelyna. Have a good day," I ended, heading inside.

"You too, Commander." walked through the main lobby. There was at least one member of each species in Citadel Space sitting, with a woman, or man, dressed in a similar fashion to Nelyna waiting on them. I suspect these weren't the people who would bed them, but, would rather wait on them until the people who would bed them were ready. That suspicion was confirmed as I watched a scantily clad Asari and Turian woman lead a very excited Turian through a door back here. Likely a hallway to more rooms. Wait a second, the Volus here. They can't possibly be here for sex, can they? I mean, they can only breathe in an Ammonia atmosphere, and they are built to survive only in high pressure environments. They physically can't survive in the same environment as a non-Volus without an environmental suit, and vice versa. Unless… they have Volus women here too, don't they? But… at that point, why not just save money and time by picking up a regular Volus hooker or something? I shook those images that I really don't want to have in my head, out, and made my way to the Consort's chambers.

A large, plush couch, bottles of fine wines waiting, a dim light, candles lit, silken drapes hanging from the walls. A very large, plush, soft bed with silken sheets to the side. As well as vibrant plants growing in the corners of the room. And… yeah, those are definitely whips, leather, and other things I have absolutely no interest in waiting atop dressers. The consort was facing a window, heavily tinted on the other side so that while inside, it would be easy to look out across the Persidium, no one on the outside would ever be able to peer inside. She had her back turned to me, her dress revealing most of it. She did not turn to face me as she began.

"That is close enough, Commander," she began, she barely turned her head to halt me. Her voice was soft and light. Barely hinting her age. "I have heard many things about you since your most recent arrival here on our Citadel." I stopped, as requested.

"So, you called for me to come up here?" I got to the point.

"I have a certain problem that could use your expertise, she revealed. She turned now to face me, approaching me, staring deep into my eyes. Hers were dark, brown, maybe. Not sure. Her face a shade of blue different than the rest of her body. Honestly? It wasn't particularly striking.

"I find it hard to believe the Consort would have much use for a gunman. Besides, I won't do it. You can hire a thug for that," I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You are mistaken, Commander. Both about what I ask, and the limits of your own capabilities. I have a friend, Septimus. A retired Turian general. Out of respect for him, I won't discuss details, but he wanted me to be more than I could be. We had a falling out," she stepped closer. "Now he spends his days in Chora's Den, drinking and spreading lies about me." she lowered her head, keeping her eyes on mine, perhaps some… seductive persuasion? "If you would speak to him as a fellow soldier," she gently reached her arm up and caressed my cheek. I used my own arm to gently move it away. Don't just come on to me like that when asking for a favor. She just let the arm return to her side. "I believe he will listen to you, and let the matter be." Well… I don't like knowing that someone as respected as Septimus would be to have fallen from grace like that to a bar. I can sympathize with him.

"I'll see if there's anything I can do, but, why not ask any other soldier client you may have gotten?" I remarked.

"Commander, again you underestimate yourself. The vast majority of the time, those who come to see me are… selfishly driven. And those who may be less so, I do not believe to be careful of such careful diplomacy and persuasion. Ah, but you… You are different. You are not driven by self. And as for your persuasion, one must only look at the past few days to be convinced. Convincing the Council, gathering a team within hours… it is impressive. You can appeal to Septimus' honor. Remind him of his position as a General. If you can convince him to stop spreading lies, I would be very grateful," she hinted. Hm, well, I think she's, ironically, turned me off to that potentiality. But I suppose I could try to help Septimus while around. She turned back to the window. "Now I must ask that you take your leave. I have many clients waiting to see me." Yeah. To see you. Alright. I just turned and left, making my way to Chora's Den. Assuming it's open again.

Hm, suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it is. Bodies cleaned up, damaged tables replaced, bullet holes covered up. I found Septimus easily, as he was the only Turian not staring at a woman, but at a bottle. I took a seat across from him, he eyed me up quickly. I suppose he noticed the bars of Commander on my left shoulder.

"Commander? Hmph… What do you want?" he grumbled. "What's bothering you, General? People like us don't end up like this unless something happens," I avoided the question. Septimus gave a huff of air to begin.

"I've seen a lot of horrible things in my days and there's only one woman in this damn galaxy that helps me forget it. Why I'm here? Cause she rejected me. Me!" I could hear the alcohol talking now. And the smell on his breath. The haze in his eyes. "Septimus Oraka! General of the Turian fleet!"

"I understand why you're upset, General, but you know spreading lies won't make it better."

"Look, kid… I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't waste your time…" he muttered.

"General, did you ever win a battle by moping in a bar?" I asked rhetorically.

"Ha! War!" Septimus barked. "That's what this feels like all right." he sighed. "How did I let it come to this… So, you think it's that easy? Just, straighten up? Act like a General eh?"

"I've been in the same position, General. Different reasons, but same place. I still find myself resisting the call of the bottle sometimes, but I can tell you, I'm the better for resisting it."

"Hmph," Septimus muttered thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right… couldn't hurt anyway… Sha'ira's worth the effort… even if she won't have me back."

"Glad to hear it. And, don't you think that this is no place for someone on your stature? General Oraka?" I encouraged a bit subtly. He sat straighter.

"It is not. I'll go to her. After a cold shower. Or two… Say," something came to mind. "You seem like a bright kid. Would you be interested in a few extra credits?"

"What for?"

"There's an Elcor diplomat that believes Sha'ira gave up his secrets. Thing is, he just isn't that great at hiding it, and I told him. I just need you to go convince him of the truth. Oh, here," he fished a data-pad out of his pocket. "Hand this to him. Should help. Xeltan, should be over by the embassies." he then picked up his drink. "Here's to soldiers, acting like soldiers." He took a swig, setting it back down. "Now just to pay my damn tab…"

* * *

I think Xeltan was even more embarrassed by this little revelation that he just couldn't handle a secret. But now, I had returned to the Consort chambers, letting her know it was solved. I had to wait a small bit, as she was seeing a client, and then allowed to go see her. She was already facing the door when I entered.

"Commander, I just received a lovely note from Septimus, and will be expecting him soon. Thank you for speaking with him. And I also received a panicked letter from an Elcor also spreading false rumors."

"I was just happy to right a few misunderstandings," I shrugged.

"You are too kind, Commander. But please, allow me to offer you some compensation. I have one more thing to give, if interested." Hmph, might as well see what it is before deciding.

"And that is?"

"A gift of words. An affirmation of who you are, and who you will become…" she closed her eyes and placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt a… presence on my mind. Like, fingers gently touching, investigating. Yet also calming me so I wouldn't react.

"I see you... Your uniform fits as if you were born wearing it. You are a soldier through and through. Proud, solitary… alone. It gives you a strength, but I see it can one day be replaced with a bond stronger. Your past is shadowed, scarred, and dark. It both haunts you and drives you. You draw guilt from where there is none. Where you expect yourself to have gone above and beyond where you had already done so. You must learn to let go if you are to succeed. But your strength, your drive… that is what people are drawn to. Why you lead, and others follow without question. You will need that leadership in the battles to come. It is why you will succeed. This is who you are, Commander. But is not who you will become. It forms the basis for your future greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends, Commander," she stated calmly, almost…

"That sounded… prophetic," I murmured. "You have quite a gift." I felt a… calmness. A peace. I know what she was alluding to for my past, and… while I still feel stabs of regret and guilt, I… I don't know. Something feels at ease. I know Asari can affect minds, did she… do something? Will it wear off? I honestly don't know.

"Thank you, Commander. Not everyone appreciates it as you do. Never underestimate the power of words," she hinted. "Here, I have one last thing. A small trinket," she handed me a necklace, a reflective piece of circular metal. It was incredibly smooth to the touch and felt cool. Very cool.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"A small mystery. I have never learned its use or purpose. But I sense it is time for me to pass it on. Perhaps it is simply a good luck charm," she mused. "Now, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. I have done everything I can for you. Remember my words. They will give you strength."

I left without argument, and outside her chambers, I looked out across the Persidium lake, and let out a deep breath. I'll try. I'll try for you, Dad. I'll try to let go.

* * *

There wasn't much else that I concerned myself with for the rest of the day. I saw Barla Von, who, was actually quite eager to help Spectre's with their finances. He even has special deals for Spectres. He forgoes the upfront cost for a slightly bigger than normal cut of the overall take. Even then, I still get the clear majority. I'd send him however much money I saw fit for him to begin, and instead of a percentage of it going straight into his pocket, each of it would be invested. He had a deal, and he promised to keep me up to date about progress. Volus like him live and breathe the stock market. I was just standing, looking over the Persidium lake, wondering what to do next when I got a message from Udina.

 _Gather your squad, meet Anderson and I at the Normandy's docking bay. Tali Zorah is already waiting outside the ship._ Hm, well, I sent the message to everyone, getting acknowledgements from each. I'd meet them all at the C-Sec academy. Ashley and Kaidan were the first to arrive.

"What's going on, Commander?" Ashley asked, curiously.

"Dunno. Udina wanted me to gather you all and meet him and Anderson by the Normandy. Maybe my ship's coming into dock beside it," I shrugged.

"It would be too much to hope for a Dreadnaught, I suppose, sir," Ashley joked.

"Heh, while I wouldn't exactly mind having a monster of a ship like that at my disposal, I don't exactly think that would very well fit the inconspicuous nature of a Spectre," I remarked. Williams made a show of pouting as Garrus and Wrex soon joined a few minutes apart from each other. With them all gathered, we took the elevator up.

"Wait, where's Tali?" Kaidan raised a brow.

"She was already at the ship. Should be waiting outside with Udina and Anderson," I reassured. That satisfied Kaidan, When the elevator came to a stop, Udina and Anderson were talking to each other, Tali just waiting, bouncing on her heels as she didn't seem very involved in the conversation. However, upon seeing us, she quickly stopped and joined us, standing amongst the squad rather than beside the Captain and Ambassador. Speaking of whom, both stopped their conversation and faced us. No other ship was in dock beside the Normandy. Not yet, at any rate.

"I've got big news for you, Shepard. It just got cleared through Alliance channels and by Admiral Hackett himself," Udina began. Admiral Hackett? I was pleased to see his own little involvement in whatever was happening. That man is a soldier turned into one of the greatest Admirals in the Alliance, if not its history. I've yet to meet him, but Anderson knows him well. And everything he's told me means that I respect Hackett a great deal. "Captain Anderson is stepping down as Commanding Officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now." Oh. Shit. I don't know through personal experience, but I know thanks to both my parents, as well as Anderson mentioning the past, is that it always hurts a little bit when a Captain gives up his own ship. That it's hard. I wanted to make sure this was at least his choice. Before I could ask, Anderson had his arms over his chest and nodded.

"She's quick and quiet, and you know the crew, they know you. Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander."

"Captain… the Normandy is still yours. I refuse to take it from you unless you are absolutely sure and absolutely willing…"

"Shepard, you need your own ship, and, honestly, there isn't a better ship in the Alliance for a Spectre to use. The need to be quick and quiet? Get in and out without the enemy knowing? You need a ship with a stealth drive, and we can't very well just take it out of the Normandy and put it in a new ship," Anderson reassured.

"I'd be more than happy to at least offer you a place on board, sir," I offered. Anderson put a hand on my shoulder and walked me alongside the length of the dock, talking quietly.

"You know that wouldn't work. The crew need to defer to you and we both know that if I'm there, you'd still defer to me for advice or decisions. You need to do this without me being right there. In downtime you can feel free to call and ask for advice, I'd love to hear from you, but… I was in your shoes twenty years ago, son. They were considering me for the Spectres. That's how I know Saren. Then he blew up a factory and all the civilians living nearby and inside. I had my shot, now it's yours. You need to do this yourself, son," Anderson patted me on the back. Huh, so Harkin was partially right. I can understand why Anderson never mentioned it. I could see the shame in his eyes as he recounted.

"And what about you? What are you going to be doing?"

"Well, I don't know. I won't retire, not yet. But I may be stuck doing paperwork here for a while. I know I'll find my way back to real Command sooner or later. But for now, I'll be staying on the Citadel. Heh, maybe I'll actually get to use my own damn Apartment," Anderson chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Anderson." We shared a hug, then returned to the others. "Alright, Udina. I accept Command of the Normandy."

"Good, good. Those new procurements from the Alliance arrived just minutes ago and are already loaded onto your ship. It's ready to go anytime," Udina stated.

"Any leads on Saren?" I asked.

"He's gone, vanished. Don't bother looking for him specifically. But, we know what he's after. The Conduit. We know he has his Geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues. Right now, we have only one lead, and looking for more," Anderson explained. "It has to do with Matriarch Benezia. She has a daughter. An archaeologist that specializes in the Protheans. We don't know for sure if she's involved, but you should try and find her, see if she knows anything. If not, maybe she can at least help in a search for the Conduit. Dr. Liara T'Soni."

"We have reports she was part of a dig on an uncharted world in the Artemis Tau cluster. Let's see, it was… Therum, in the Knossos system," Udina added.

"Then that's where we'll start. Keep me posted on anything else," I nodded.

"Shepard, your actions still reflect on Humanity as a whole. You make a mess, I get stuck cleaning it up," Udina warned.

"Relax Ambassador. That's not my style," I stated firmly.

"Glad to hear it, Commander. Remember, you were a human long before you were a Spectre." Well, now I also have a duty to the Galaxy as a whole. I can't just save only humans explicitly. Any decisions beyond that will have to wait until they come up. Now, I have a meeting I need to get to. The Captain can answer any final questions," Udina began walking away. No one would miss him.

"I only have one more thing to add, Shepard. You can expect to get calls from Admiral Hackett from time to time, asking for your help with anything that crops up when you don't have any leads on Saren. Any questions?"

"No sir. I think we're all ready to go," I answered. Anderson smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"Good luck out there, son. Make us proud."

"I will, sir." Anderson left us, and then, after a pause, I spoke up again. "Well, we have our ship. Let's get going." I led them all inside.

"Tali, you can go ahead and set up in Engineering. Garrus, you could work with the gunnery officers, or work on the Mako if you want. Wrex… I'm… not really sure. So! You're the ground team. You don't need to be doing much on the ship, short of keeping your weapons and armor maintained for combat ops. That being said, you will be expected to help out with at least some things while on board. Go ahead and set up shop wherever you want in the end, and we'll be setting out soon," I explained as the decontamination sequence ran its course. "I'll let you all know our ETA once we're heading out." The crew stood at attention as we came aboard.

"Commander on deck!" Navigator Pressly stated formally as he and the other bridge crew saluted.

"At ease," I ordered. "Pressly, you're the next most senior officer on board. You'll be my XO."

"Understood sir, thank you sir."

"And… I want you all to know how I'm going to run this ship. I will expect the best from you, but I'll be lenient. Mistakes happen, but I need you to be damn sure they don't repeat themselves. Beyond that, I'll be relaxed. No need to call me, 'Sir' or 'Commander,' all the time. No need to salute or stand at attention when I enter a room. When off duty, in FTL, or flying through secure space, I will allow chatter and other small distractions. But like I said, at even a hint of trouble, give me and this ship your all. Thank you. Return to your stations, let's get this show on the road." I received another salute from the bridge crew and the ground team, myself included, headed towards the lower level. And me? My quarters. My new quarters. Still felt odd, but I got myself changed out of armor and into the plain Alliance shirt and pants for walking around the ship. I returned to the bridge, and thus, Joker. Seems he heard me coming from behind.

"Heard what happened to Captain Anderson. Survives a hundred and one battles, gets taken down by backroom politics," he remarked bitterly. "Watch your back, Shepard. Something goes haywire here, you're next on the chopping block."

"Still doesn't feel right taking this ship from Anderson, but… but he insisted. I'm ready. Saren's out there somewhere. We'll find the fucker."

"Everyone on the ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent figuratively, ninety nine percent literally, or… whatever the real percentage would be," Joker… joked.

"Maybe I should stand a bit further ahead then," I retorted. Earning a snort from the pilot.

"Yeah there's not exactly a lot of room. Intercom's open if you want to say anything." I leaned down and towards the mic.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our mission. Find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission won't be short, nor easy. It's time for Humanity to prove itself worthy of joining the others. To show them what humans are made of. And as you may have noticed, we've picked up some help along the way. A Turian C-Sec officer determined to see that Saren faces justice. A Quarian putting her life on the line to serve the greater good, and a Krogan mercenary working for free, just looking for some action. Not only will we show the Galaxy what Humans can do, but how well we can work alongside the other denizens of this Galaxy. Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren and his followers will be waiting for us. But we're ready for them. Humanity needs to do this. _We_ need to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species. Saren must be stopped, and I give my solemn promise to you all. We. Will. Stop him. Shepard out." At a glance behind, I noticed the bridge crew sitting straighter, confidently. Proud and eager.

"Well said. The Captain would be proud," Joker nodded.

"Anderson gave up a lot so I could have this shot. I sure as hell ain't letting him down. What's our ETA to Artemis Tau?"

"To Artemis Tau itself? From here… calculating times where we need to discharge… we're looking at a day just to get there. It's on the edge of the outer rim. And Knossos itself isn't the relay system, but it's not much further away. Once we arrive in the cluster, we're looking at an hour or two."

"Then let's get moving."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, Chellick is indeed the very Turian who tells Tali and her friend to get the hell off Citadel. Another thing from her comic. And, for further use in regards to the weapons and their names? Well, I'll try, but I don't think anyone actually bothers keeping track of the Cookie Cutter weapons and armors that make up ME1. Only reason I was able to use the basic gun names during the shooting range, was because those were the basic weapons and I wrote this directly after the Spectre induction. I still had the basic weapons in the inventory. In ME2 and 3 though, I'll obviously have a much, much easier time keeping track of the weapons because then they'll actually be unique. Oh, and, in case you can't tell, it's not going to start with Shepard right away being tossed three different leads that are all the highly important ones. I mean, Geth attack on Feros? Shep wouldn't let that wait to go grab some Asari who may or may not be of help, and by that much time passes, it would be too late. In-between the actual main missions will be the smaller missions, for example, Wrex's armor, Garrus and Dr. Heart, the Geth incursion where Tali gets her data, and, of course, Bring Down the Sky. And of course, finally, to explain travel time. That's never been something that Mass Effect has really made clear. We know it takes time, because the lore states the shit about needing to discharge the drive cores and what-not, but it hasn't been clear on just how often that really is. For those of you coming from my Into the Great Unknown story, you may ask why the travel time is so similar as it was in some parts there. Simple answer: Mass Relays. Motherfuckers can shoot you halfway across the galaxy literally instantaneously, depending on whether it was a Primary or Secondary relay. (Read codex tab, not going to make an even longer note to explain.)**


	7. Getting Heated

As we departed, I returned to my quarters to look over any and all intel we had. Which, unfortunately, was very little. There hadn't been a Geth attack since Eden Prime, and only sightings of them prowling around on the outskirts of at least seemingly random systems.

As for Saren himself, Anderson was right. Utterly vanished. He'll show up again at some point, I have no doubt for that. As for Matriarch Benezia, I had also been given a file on her. It was… odd. If this file is right, this is entirely out of character for her. She was often a strong supporter for peace and cooperation. For diplomacy. If there was a hostile force, she would be much more likely to talk them out of it than to attack them. Let alone join with them. And as for Dr. T'Soni, not much on her either. Barely even in her maiden years and fascinated by the Protheans.

There was a knock on my door. "Come in," I called, looking up at the door now. It was Navigator Pressly. "Something on your mind?" I asked as he entered.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but I have concerns about the non-humans on board," he began. I sighed internally. I should have expected this from someone, at any rate. Now I'm not sure about having this man be my XO.

"They're on our side, Pressly," I resisted pinching the bridge of my nose.

"With all due respect, sir, that's what they said about Nihlus. Look how that turned out," he continued. I held up a hand.

"Wait, wait, wait, what? How… how does that even make any sense? He was here to evaluate me and then got shot in the back of the head by Saren! How is that supposed to translate to Nihlus not being on our side?" I exclaimed. Now I did pinch the bridge of my nose. "Pressly I need to know if you have a problem with non-humans." He stood straighter, hands behind his back.

"It's not that, Commander. Humanity has always handled our own problems. Saren attacked one of our Colonies. We should be the ones to stop him. We don't need their help."

"We've only been on the Galactic stage for thirty years. We may have liberated Shanxi during first contact and have been preparing for a full-scale war, but the Council handled that problem from escalating. Batarians got pissy that we were expanding, Council sided with us and they went isolationist. My point is that Humanity hasn't had that much time to actually have that many problems out here. And, hell, Saren's using Geth! I would say that qualifies for Quarian assistance, if nothing else so they can get some payback on the bastards!" I then sighed, calming myself. "Pressly, it doesn't matter how strong you are, an ally always makes you stronger. Turning away freely given help is the sign of a fool." Pressly seemed to mull that over, gears turning in his head.

"I suppose, Commander. Maybe I'm just stuck in the old ways of thinking… But don't worry. This won't be a problem."

"Good. I would advise talking with them, Pressly. Get to know them. They haven't exactly been on the ship very long. Give em a chance."

"I… I'll try to do that, Commander." I gave Pressly a nod and he left. Ugh, pointless suspicion and mistrust. And it had put me in a mood, if I tried to read reports now, I just wouldn't be focused on them at all. So, I made my way up to the cockpit, thought I could look out at the almost eerie pitch black of FTL travel, calm myself a bit.

"Hey Shepard," Joker greeted as I came by, turning a bit and figuring I wasn't here for him. But… hey, guess I could take this as a chance to get to know my pilot a bit. Other than just reading his file.

"Hey Joker. Just came up here to look out a bit. But… eh fuck it. I should probably get to know the crew a bit more. Tell me about yourself," I remarked.

"Oh, I see where this is going," Joker scoffed. "You did a background check on me, didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the Captain." Wait, what? "You _want_ me as your pilot. I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet!" Well, he's not lacking confidence. "Top of my class in flight school? I fucking _earned_ that. All those commendations in my file? I fucking _earned_ every single one. Those weren't a goddamn charity for my disease."

"Joker, what the hell are you talking about?" I turned to look at him, utterly confused. "I didn't check your file, I don't know what you're sick with… what?"

"Ah crap…" Joker sighed. "Okay. Vrolik's Syndrome. Brittle bone disease. Bones in my legs never formed right, hollow, too much force and they shatter. Even with crutches and my leg braces, it's hard to get around. One wrong step, and, and _crack!_ It's all very dramatic," he shrugged off. "But I know how to manage it. Put the Normandy in my hands, and I will make her dance for you. Just… don't ask me to get up and dance, unless, you know, you like the sound of snapping shin bones," he joked.

"Can't say that I'd find that a very entertaining noise. Maybe Wrex would get a kick out of it."

"Please do not tell the big Krogan how fragile I am. Not… not unless he's already trying something," Joker requested.

"I'll think about it," I chuckled. "So, why Joker?"

"Lot shorter than saying 'Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau,'" he recanted dramatically, probably mocking someone in his past. "Plus, I love to make little kids laugh," he fake cooed.

"You know, grow that beard out a bit and make it white, you'd look just like Santa Claus."

"Uh huh. Well, I didn't pick it. One of the instructors in flight school used to bug me about never smiling. Called me Joker, and it stuck," I saw a hint of a smirk.

"I think you're starting to live up to it these days. Sarcasm doesn't tend to be a joke in and of itself."

"Yeah well it sounds a lot better than Sarcastic asshole… sarcasmer?" Yeah, whatever." I chuckled again.

"So, how come you never smiled in flight school?"

"I worked my ass off in-flight School, Commander. The world won't give you shit if you go around grinning like an idiot. By the end of the year, I was the best pilot in the Academy. Even better than the instructors, and everyone knew it. That, was when I smiled." Alright, hard worker, I can respect that. I think Joker and I will get along just fine.

"Impressive story, Joker. Seems like we're lucky to have you aboard. I'll leave you to it," I nodded and began to leave.

"Thanks, Shepard. See ya." Alright, I was feeling a bit better. Suppose I should just do the rounds. Talk with the rest of the ground team. So, I made my way to the cargo bay. I saw Garrus working at a console interfaced with the Mako, Ashley was at the weapons workbench, cleaning her gun, and Wrex was just leaning against a stack of crates. I made my way to the Turian first.

"So, what do you think of the Mako, Garrus?"

"Interesting vehicle you got here. I started looking at its systems out of curiosity, and I noticed that the weapons systems looked a bit off. I thought I might try calibrating them a bit," Garrus remarked.

"A deadlier tank probably couldn't hurt."

"Indeed. Oh, thanks for bringing me on board, Shepard. I think working with a Spectre will be much better than life at C-Sec."

"How's that?"

"I know what they're like. You make your own rules, and free to handle things your way. At C-Sec, you're buried by rules. Damn bureaucrats are always on your back," he complained.

"I can understand some of those rules being a bit much, but, Garrus, most of those rules are there for good reason," I argued.

"Maybe… but I swear it just feels like they're there to stop me from doing my job. If I'm trying to take down a suspect, it shouldn't matter how I do it, as long as I do it," Garrus explained. Yeah, hothead, sees things in black and white. I need to try and help him see the grey. "C-Sec wants it done their way. Protocol and procedure come first."

"So you quit because you didn't like the way they do things?" I asked rhetorically.

"There's more to it than that," he defended. I swear I saw a flash of familiarity in his words, as if he's had similar arguments before. With his father perhaps? An older sibling? "It didn't start bad, but as I rose in ranks, I got more and more red tape. Take a look at Saren. The way they handled it was typical. I couldn't get clearance to investigate further and so we couldn't find evidence and they just accepted it. I had one more lead I was working on, and they refused to let me have more time to verify it. I couldn't take it anymore. I hate leaving…" he sighed. I could try and talk to him about his viewpoints now, but… I think it may be better for him to see it firsthand out in the field. That may be more convincing.

"Then I hope you made the right choice, Garrus. I don't want you to regret this later," I stated.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to join you. It's given me a chance to get off the Citadel, see how things are done outside C-Sec. Either way, I'll make the most of this," Garrus reassured. But then he added: "And maybe without C-Sec HQ looking over my shoulder, well, maybe I can get the job done my way for a change." That needs to be nipped in the bud.

"If getting the job done means endangering innocent people, then no," I stated firmly, maybe a bit aggressively. It's meant to take him by surprise. "We get the job done _right_ not fast. Do I make myself clear?"

"I wasn't trying to-" he began. I hardened my stare. "Yes, Commander. Understood."

"Good. At ease, you can get back to work," I lowered my tone. I noticed that Wrex and Ashley had taken interest in my outburst, but Ashley returned to her gun, and Wrex just continued to stand where he was. Waiting, thinking. I made my way over to the armory Ashley was working at, inspecting the new weapons. Higher grade alright. I've seen prototypes of these guns before. They hit harder, and the heat sinks can take more before they overheat. Good, good.

"What was that about?" Ashley whispered.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about, Williams. I got it under control," I reassured.

"If he's causing problems-" she began.

"You don't need to worry about it, Williams," I reinforced. "He just needs a bit of… guidance. That's all." Ashley just nodded and didn't press further. Pleased with the weapons, I continued my rounds. Next up, the Krogan.

"Nice ship you've got, Shepard," he remarked as I came near, not changing from his position against the crates. And still armored. "Need something?"

"What's your story, Wrex?" I asked, curiously.

"There's no story," he responded curtly. "Go ask the Quarian if you want stories," he nodded his head in engineering's direction.

"But I asked you Wrex, not her. I know the Krogan can live well past a thousand, and you've got a few centuries behind you. Trying to get to know who I'm working with," I explained.

"Well there was this one time the Turians almost wiped out our entire race. That was fun," he grumbled. "Then infected us to keep us down. An infection that makes only a few in a thousand children survive birth and is destroying our entire species. It's an absolute blast."

"Wasn't trying to set you off, Wrex," I started.

"I don't expect you to understand. And before you ask, no, I won't cause problems with Vakarian over there. As for the Krogan? Well…" he laughed bitterly. "I gave up on them long ago… The Genophage infected us, but it's not what's killing us."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I had several ideas what Wrex meant, but I was curious to get a Krogan's piece of mind here. And I think Wrex could tell that I had ideas.

"We're too spread out. None of us are interested in staying on Tuchanka. We're not settlers. We're warriors. We want to fight. So, we leave, hire ourselves out, and most of us never go back. It's that Krogan kill so many Krogan, either on a job out here, or in a Clan War on Tuchanka. Our death rates are much, much higher than our birth rates. And there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it…" Wrex shook his head. I saw a hint of very, very bitter memories in his eyes. This old Krogan is wiser than most, I think. At least, most I've ever 'met.'

"Thanks for your time, Wrex," I ended the conversation.

"Shepard," Wrex nodded in farewell. Now, to engineering. I still haven't met Adams yet… I took a moment to visually appreciate the drive core. The pulsing of Eezo from the core as it rotated in this experimental design. Adams should be the man working on the main console front and center. And I saw Tali focused at her own console to the far left. I approached Adam's first.

"Engineer Adams?" I asked. He turned, showing a shaved head and brown skin, a few wrinkles from age.

"Ah, Commander, sorry we couldn't meet sooner," he extended a hand in greeting.

"Anderson was just about to introduce us before we set off for Eden Prime. I should apologize for not coming to see you sooner," I returned the shake. Adams shrugged it off and gestured to walk back with him a bit, to the back of engineering. He had his back to the core.

"I gotta say, Commander. That Quarian, Tali?" he began. Ah shit, not you too, Adams. I glanced in Tali's direction. Despite the fact that Adams was speaking more quietly, her fingers had stopped their typing, and she had slumped forward a bit. She can hear us. "She's been spending all her time down here asking me about our engines.

"She's just curious Adams. She-" I began to counter. But then a look of confusion crossed Adam's face?

"What? Do you think- Oh! Oh, no, Commander," he began to laugh. "She's amazing! I wish half my guys were _half_ as smart as she is. Give her a month on board, and I swear she'll know more about our engines than I do!" he exclaimed happily. Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. And, with another glance at Tali, I saw she was standing straighter than she was before, her hands fluttering above their interface faster, with purpose. "She has a real knack for technology, that one. Very impressive. You made a good choice bringing her along."

"Well, I would think that one of the best things to bring in a fight against Geth would be a skilled Quarian Engineer," I remarked, noticing that Tali had paused just briefly yet again, before returning to work. I bet there was a smile under that mask.

"Indeed. So, you have any questions? Anderson mentioned you had an interest in drive cores."

"And he'd be right. So, what can you tell me?"

"Well, to start, the Normandy is using the brand-new Tantalus Drive core. Only ship that has it. Proportionally, it's twice the size of any other vessel. Technically, a Dreadnaught's core is larger, but it's also carrying a lot more ship with it. It makes us not only faster than other vessels, but we can remain in FTL longer before the core needs to discharge." I nodded along, understanding.

"So, how'd the core get installed then? To be such a significant difference in size, installation had to be tricky."

"And you'd be right. We had to build the engineering compartment around the drive core, rather than just install it after the bay was built," Adams explained. Hmph, probably a method that will see more use in coming years.

"And what about the stealth systems? How does it work, exactly?" I asked.

"Ah, now the IES systems are something very special indeed. So, as you know, you can't hide a ship out in space. What with all the heat and radiation they emit. Sensors pick those up as easily as the moon in the night sky. What the IES does, is trap those emissions in heat and radiation sinks built throughout the ship itself. Absolutely no emissions to give us away. Eventually those sinks need to be vented, of course. After a few hours of silent running, they overheat, cook us inside our own hull," Adams continued.

"You know I could probably go for a tan. Sounds fun," I joked.

"Sure, so long as you don't mind the melting and all the tumors from the radiation leaks," Adams chuckled.

"Ah, it can't be that bad," I waved it off jokingly. "So, I know this is experimental tech. I would assume it has some sort of failing beyond time limitations."

"Well there's always a visual scan, nothing we can do about that. But in the field, you'd have to be pretty close to get an actual visual out in space, so that's not something to generally worry about. Most vessels rely on their scanners. The IES makes that useless. The only exception being when we accelerate to FTL," Adams explained.

"And how come that doesn't work?"

"It blue-shifts our emissions. The heat can still be captured but the radiation gets turned into a whole new frequency for the sinks. As soon as we make the jump, it's like setting off a flare. The enemy will know someone has been there. Though, optimally, by that point, it's too late. Unfortunately, it also happens when we exit FTL, so we need to be careful to not exit within an enemy's sensor range. But that will require intel before we make the run anyway. For short range missions, the IES is amazing, and we have the only one. For long range, it requires more finesse and planning." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. That's handy information to know.

"Thanks Adams. I'll be sure to keep all of that in mind."

"Of course, Commander." Adams ended, returning to his console. Now, I started to approach Tali from behind. Hm… behind… looking a bit snug there… Ah, damnit. Stop it, John! Down boy! She can't help how Quarian environment suits are so form fitting, and she can't help how she- damn it John I said stop! I shook this train of thought out of my mind. I was very fortunate that my gaze had been lifted upwards when she turned, hearing me approach. Her glowing eyes were wide behind the mask.

"Your ship is amazing, Shepard! I've never seen a drive core like this before! It's incredible you were able to fit it in a ship this small!" she exclaimed very eagerly. Bouncing on her heels. Um… if a fitting term for those are actually… heels… She was still talking, though. "I think I can understand why you humans have been so successful. I had no idea Alliance vessels were so advanced!"

"Oh, remember Tali. This ship is just a prototype. No other ship has this tech," I reminded, humbling her opinion a bit. I swear I saw a brow raise.

"A month ago, I was patching a makeshift fuel line into a converted tug ship in the Flotilla. Now, I'm aboard one of the most advanced vessels outside the Perseus Veil," she countered. Hm, she does have a point there. "I need to thank you again for bringing me along. Travelling on a vessel like this is a dream come true for me."

"You got a thing for ship tech?" I asked, furthering the conversation.

"It comes with being a Quarian," she shrugged. "Ships are our most valuable resource, after all. But we don't have anything remotely like this. We make do with cast-offs and second-hand equipment, doing everything we can to keep them running as long as possible. Some of our larger vessels, including our live ships, date all the way back to our exodus," she explained. I let out a whistle. Ships three centuries old. She took that as a symbol of surprise. "Constant repairs, modifications, and refits keep them running. They aren't pretty, but they work. Mostly." There's something about her voice… I could just sit and listen to it for hours. "We try to make ourselves as independent as possible aboard the Flotilla. Grow our own food, mine and process our own fuel," she listed off. Heh, I think she likes talking about her people. "And our Pilgrimages get much of what we can't get ourselves. Trading fills the gap."

"Makes sense. So, in my N7 training, where we were learning the other species' governments, yours seemed a bit odd. Martial law and military run, yet, a democratically elected… what was it? Conclave?"

"Right. You must understand, we're a social people, and an argumentative one, living in a precarious situation. Parents are restricted to one child, everyone must work, and, of course, our suits. So, the Conclave is the civilian branch of our government. Each ship elects a representative, and the Conclave makes decisions that affect the Fleet as a whole. On matters of an individual ship, the Captain holds the final say. It's a tradition since the early days when the fleet was both theoretically, and in practice, governed by martial law. Now, it's closer to a theoretical. Fortunately, most captains are smart enough to have an elected council from the crew for advice and guidance."

"And the Admiralty board?"

"Right. The five-top ranking military officials. They can overrule any decision made by the Conclave in case of emergency, though they are required to do so unanimously, and to all step down after doing so. In the entire history of the fleet, that's only happened four times."

"Alright, now it's starting to make more sense. Wonder why they couldn't just explain it that way in training," I chuckled.

"About that. What is… N7? And why would it be a part of your training?" Tali asked

"The N ranks list the special forces in the Alliance, Tali. N1 through 7. An N1 is already a cut above the other soldiers. And you can choose to retrieve training all the way up to N6 if you so choose and pass through the ranks. N7, however, requires you to receive a commendation. As for why knowing the governments of other species is important? Well, that has to do with the kind of missions an N7 would normally be sent on. High-risk, yes. But, for example. Let's say that Humanity and… the Turians, ended up in a full-scale war against… The Batarians. The N7 is working in the field that is also shared by Turian combatants. If I'm going to work with their chain of command for whatever reason, and comms are out, I'd need to have some understanding of how their society and chain of command works to help solve the problem. Or let's say an op involves some kind of deal that can't wait for those higher up the chain. We need the knowledge to properly make the deal right then and there. But what I think is the most important reason, is that one must understand their enemy to best defeat them. You understand how their society works, you can better predict their actions. You plan to take out a General, know their history, and know their replacement so you can immediately counter them before they even know their being countered. It's all very… intricate. Hell, this old book title probably best explains it," I shrugged.

"What book?" Tali asked curiously.

"The Art of War. Written by a very old Chinese philosopher, Sun Tzu. China being one of the countries back on Earth.

"A part of me thinks I should be unsettled that it was called an art," Tali mused.

"In a way he's right. It's not a pretty image, but, all the finer points and tactics? It makes sense." Ah, right, I need to ask about that. "Tali, can you come with me to my quarters for a moment? There's something I need to ask you about. It has to do with you and being in the field."

"Of course, Commander," she answered formally. I led her to the elevator, and upwards, to my quarters. There should be some privacy for this question, and her answer. Once inside, I gestured for her to take a seat at the table, and I sat adjacent from her.

"Tali, when Ashley made a joke about the Turian the other day, I noticed you pause. Whether that was because Ashley made a joke about the dead, or because it hit home that he was dead, I don't know. What I do need to know, is if that will happen again. You need to be honest with yourself. For your sake, and the squad's sake. No one is saying that death can't have any effect on you at all. Every soldier I've ever met is at least a little shaken up by their first kill. Some get past it, some don't. That's just the way it is. Which are you?" Tali paused another moment. Thinking.

"I can handle it, Commander."

"Are you sure? If you can't that's fine, we can still bring you along for missions against Geth. I just need to know that you won't freeze up out there. I've had soldiers do that before. At best, it got them wounded. At worst, it got themselves and others killed," I warned.

"I can handle it, Commander," she repeated, firmer, set. I believed her.

"Good," I let myself smile. "If you ever need to talk, about that, or anything else, my door's open. And you can feel free to talk with Chakwas as well. She's a great woman I trust with my life. Not only is she the ship's doctor, but she's certified to help us psychologically too.

"Thank you, Shepard. I won't let you down," she stood from her seat.

"I know you won't," I patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Just like you heard Adam's tell me, you're smart. Like Wrex said, you got a fire. It may take a small while for you to settle into this, but you will."

"Wait, you know-" she began to stutter. I just lightly laughed.

"I saw your body language, Tali. I know that's one of the biggest ways Quarians communicate. I was watching because at first, I was afraid Adams was going to be a racist, but he quickly got rid of that fear." I think she was smiling again, looking up.

"Thank you, Shepard."

"Anytime. I won't keep you anymore. Go on, Adams needs his best engineer," I encouraged. Tali nodded and strode out of my quarters.

* * *

We had entered the Knossos system and were minutes away from orbit over Therum. The whole team was in the cargo hold, getting suited up. Tali getting her armor strapped on, Garrus testing the reach and flexibility of his new armor, same paint job as his previous. Ashley and Kaidan were doing the same with their armors, though, fortunately, Ashley wasn't wearing the god-awful Phoenix class armor. That shit is horrible on the eyes. Myself? I got a stronger and heavier version of the N7 armor. Tali and I both got a new Savant Omni-tool, something I think she almost passed out over. It's just a good thing how quickly she realized it wasn't set to Khelish, and she fixed that up right away. Finally, as for weapons, everyone seemed happy with their improvements. Content that I was fully ready for the mission, I moved to stand in front of the others.

"As you may know, we've almost arrived at the planet Therum. It's a remote world with heavy volcanic activity. We're here to find and hopefully extract Dr. Liara T'Soni. She is both an archaeologist that focuses on Protheans, and the daughter of Matriarch Benezia. We don't know if she knows anything or is helping Saren and her mother. I want her alive, taken by force, if necessary. If she knows nothing, we'll see what happens. If she knows things, we'll interrogate her. We'll be landing via a hot drop. Everyone, into the Mako," I ordered, heading towards the tank, the entrance to its troop compartment opening.

"What's a hot drop, Commander?" Garrus asked, brow-plate raised. I saw smirks on the faces of both Ashley and Kaidan.

"Call it a surprise, Vakarian. Garrus, I want you on the gun. Tali, you'll be riding passenger and managing its engineering. Power distribution, shield strength, the lot of it."

"Understood, Commander," she acknowledged. I entered the Mako, taking the driver seat while the others got seated themselves. Good thing this is big enough to hold a bit over a dozen troops. That way no one's feeling that squished in the back with Wrex.

"How're we looking, Joker?" I asked.

"Entering Therum's atmo now, sir. Looking for an LZ near the target zone… and… got it. Few klicks out, but the Mako should get you there just fine. Ready to drop in five," the pilot answered. I gave acknowledgement and began turning on the vehicle. Everything online and ready. Tali reported no issues she could detect on her end. "Opening cargo bay doors," Joker informed after five minutes had passed.

"Uh… Commander, what's our altitude?" Tali asked a bit nervously as we saw only smoky gray clouds outside.

"Safe," was my only answer. I might be a bit evil for my vagueness but it's fun. I heard Wrex rumbling with a low laugh. "Everyone, strap in." I noticed Tali had already done so, the straps tight around her and she gripped them nervously.

"Good to go in ten seconds," Joker called out. I revved the Mako, smiling as I prepared myself. I heard Tali whispering to herself, not loud enough for the translator to pick up. Once ten seconds passed, I put the pedal to the metal.

"YYYYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I exclaimed, followed by laughter as we launched out of the Normandy into a freefall. Tali was just screaming, Garrus, repeatedly cursing 'fuck,' Wrex bellowing with laughter, while the two humans were just along for the ride.

"Too fast! We're coming in too fast!" Tali exclaimed. I watched our elevation meter, waiting for it to hit a certain threshold. Hm, glancing out the window, I suppose I can understand some of the fear. There's a lava lake a few dozen yards ahead of the LZ. We hit the threshold, and I slammed a finger down on the thruster trigger. They roared to life as our fall slowed and slowed and we landed with a thud and bounce, coming to a stop, safely.

"Never gets old," I chuckled, the adrenaline coming down. Tali's breathing was calming, and Garrus had gone quiet.

"Let's not ever, do that again," Garrus broke his silence. Ashley and Kaidan both chuckled at him.

"Bah, that was nothing, Vakarian. Grow a quad," Wrex chastised, chuckling himself.

"That… was horrifying." Tali panted. "And… a little fun. Hoooo…" Tali breathed.

"See! Even the Quarian enjoyed it!" Wrex continued.

"I hate you all…" Garrus groaned.

"Alright, alright, cut the chatter. We got a job to do," I stated, starting to drive. Following the lava lake, or… river… not sure which yet.

"Commander, I'm picking up some strange readings. Really strange. Like, off the damn charts," Joker muttered. Looks like it's coming from… the dig site. An underground complex there. Weird."

"Understood, Joker. Keep us posted," I answered. I grumbled to myself at how uneven and bumpy the terrain is. It's to be expected, sure, a volcanic and rocky world, and, for what it's worth, the Mako's suspension and shock absorbers do a good job, but, doesn't make it less annoying. At least navigating wasn't hard, there was only one path for us to follow, and it was a wide, safe surface following the lava flow. Inside the Mako, climate control kept the temperature normal. Though outside, while we would survive without much issue, it would be hot. We crested a hill, and-

"Geth ship! I repeat, Geth ship inbound on your position!" Joker exclaimed. Ah shit, of course they're here.

"I see it!" Garrus shouted. The roar of its engines was clear overhead, as the… roach shaped starship? Soared overhead, before hovering just a bit ahead for a moment. Two large metal chunks were dropped.

"Keelah," Tali whispered seeing the ship. I peered closer, the two metal chunks had unfolded into a pair of large quadrupeds.

"What am I looking at, Tali?" I asked.

"Geth Armatures. Mobile weapons platforms," she explained.

"Got it. Garrus, give em some shells," I ordered. Garrus acknowledged and lined up his shot as I continued driving.

"Small plasma bolts impacting shields, not draining too much. But watch their charged shot, it could drain the whole thing," she warned. I nodded and watched them for any sign. But then the sound of a large shot was heard and one of the armatures just exploded. One of the shells. As that happened, the head of the other began to glow, swirling with electricity. Obviously, a charged shot. Garrus wouldn't have a new shot loaded in time. I came to a stop. The shot fired, a ball of plasma energy.

"Shepard watch-" I activated the thrusters again, and we just soared over the plasma ball before landing again. Garrus then fired, and the armature exploded. "Oh."

"Surprised that ship only dropped off two here. Sure as hell not gonna complain," I remarked.

"There will likely be more up ahead. In the meantime, shields are recharging as expected. Reading no damage to the hull," Tali informed. I continued driving with the good news, cresting another hill before seeing a small outpost ahead, certainly not Geth built, and it had a wall up, blocking us. And… "Turrets, missiles inbound, commander," Tali informed, more calmly now. I then saw the projectiles inbound, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. I just backed up so they would miss, no turret in view.

"Focus a sensor pulse up ahead. See if there's a side route," I ordered. Tali didn't answer with words, just by following through.

"I'm detecting a side route a few yards further in on the right side. It's narrow, but wide enough for the Mako. But we'll be in the line of fire until we enter," she warned.

"We'll be fine. Put some extra strength on the shields, extend their range a bit just in case, don't want the detonations to hurt us even if they hit the shields." Tali nodded and made the proper changes before verifying they had been done. With that, I drove ahead, missiles already inbound, but, slowly. I jumped the Mako over one pair of rockets, and made a sharp right turn, we were clear. We turned the next corner around, Garrus keeping the gun pointed to the side, just in case there was resistance. Standard procedure. Good thing for it too, there was a Turret in the center of the path, waiting. Though Garrus got a shot off before it locked on, causing an explosion of sparks and shrapnel. We were able to follow the small valley into the outpost, though it was filled with Geth. Regular troopers, for the most part, but one Geth towered over the others. Slow and lumbering but carried a big gun.

"Juggernaut! Take it down first," Tali called out. Well, she's the Geth expert. And Garrus followed through, another shell causing the Geth's torso to just vanish, turned into shrapnel or even vaporized, it's legs scorched and smoking, it collapsed.

"Just use the chain gun for the rest of em," I ordered Garrus, and he complied, mowing down the rest with a constant stream of fire. And our shields were holding. The Geth, at least, those outside, all fell. And I may have just ran over one or two, crushing them under our wheels. Unfortunately, the other exit for this outpost was walled off too. We'd need to enter the pre-fabs on its sides and find a switch to lower them.

"Garrus, Tali, stay where you are, keep the Mako ready and able to shoot. Everyone else, out with me," I ordered. A ramp at the back of the Mako opened, and we disembarked. Helmets on to make our suit's environmental controls do what they could. "Wrex, Kaidan, take left side. Ashley and I will go right." We split. Wrex taking lead of his half, while I led Ashley into the right building. I pulled out my shotgun in a breaching maneuver, and stormed inside with Ashley, checking our corners. Nothing. Nothing at all. We heard gunfire from the other building, rushing back to join after verifying there wasn't a switch. Before we even made it halfway, the wall began to lower.

"Got it. One Geth trooper tried to stop us. Heh, not much of it left," Wrex chuckled. There was no need for an answer, so we all just returned to the Mako, and I continued driving. Cresting a hill, there was an even larger lava lake ahead, and only one path around skirting its edges. Hm…

"Garrus, keep an eye on the far ridges. I- Belay that, Geth straight ahead," I ordered. We had still been driving as I gave that order, and I saw an Armature a few hundred yards ahead, waiting. Looked alone. I didn't like that. One round from Garrus neutralized that threat.

"There! Flash of blue, just in the middle of that bend over there!" Tali called out, pointing towards an incoming flash. A charged shot. I just kept moving, and it missed by a significant margin.

"I got it, hold on," Garrus reassured, loading another shot. "Bah, shots loaded but I don't have a good angle. Get me a bit closer or higher," Garrus requested. He soon got his wish, both ways. As we got closer, and the terrain rose, providing him with a good angle, and the Armature went down.

"Two more flashes, far side of the valley, adjacent to where we entered," Tali pointed out.

"I see em. Too far away for a clear shot," I remarked. Just still driving. I stopped occasionally, throwing off the Geth pacing their shots, jumping over the rest.

"Clear line of fire. Taking the shot," Garrus called out. Another armature went up in smoke. Their light fire was starting to ping off our shields, but they were barely registering. They build these tanks to last. It needs heavy, sustained fire to bring down. Another shot, another Armature down for the count. Soon, we came to their position, and I stopped.

"Two lone troops, just ahead, Take em down." Garrus obliged, using the MG to finish the job, tearing through their shields. But… why were they there? They should be supporting some-oh. A large metal leg came around a corner, followed by a larger neck and head. Geth head. It was looking much like an armature as it turned, but larger.

"Keelah, a Colossus. It's massive…" she muttered.

"Got a way to deal with it?"

"I-I don't know! We've had reports of them, but I don't think a team of marines has ever encountered one and survived. They're new, we believe that much," she hurriedly explained as I was backing up.

"Garrus, constant stream of MG fire. Explosive round whenever loaded," I ordered.

"Understood," he responded as the MG began a torrent of fire, starting with an explosive round. Armor scorched, needs some direct hits on the armor, not shields. Some rounds had begun pinging off the shields. They were taking more out of it than the Armatures, but at this range, it's not steady enough.

"Commander, I can't get enough hits with the MG on this range. Those shields just regen," Garrus called out.

"Ah fuck it, hang on!" I put the pedal to the metal again, driving straight towards the Colossus. Its fire was pinging off our shields more consistently, draining them faster.

"Shields at sixty-five! Commander, we can't-" Tali began.

"Just hold on," I reassured. Garrus kept firing. Another explosive round, this time it struck the Colossus itself, putting a hot in its chassis. But it was still standing. And we were close. It began charging a shot, but it was too late. I activated the thrusters and the Mako impacted at full speed with the thing's neck, causing it to roll onto its back, it's legs scrambling like a turtle turned on its back. There was a sizeable dent in the neck as the Mako came to a stop. Garrus opened fire again, straight into the head. Fluid sprayed out like it was an actual biological head exploding. Its light was still flickering, it's legs still moving. An explosive shot fixed that.

"Shepard… you're crazy," Garrus muttered.

"You got a quad, Shepard," Wrex complimented, chuckling slightly.

"I feel like I should report this to the Migrant Fleet Marines, but… I don't think they'd believe it," Tali chuckled.

"I could sign it with my name if you want. My little stamp of approval," I joked.

"I'll think about it," Tali chuckled. I continued driving, through a tunnel built through the rockface now. No resistance inside, though, the moment we came to the exit, there was a squad of Geth troops. Those that weren't mowed down, were crushed under the wheels at the start. We kept on moving, meeting no further resistance along the way to another tunnel. As for inside, around most corners were a pair of Geth troops waiting for us. But they provided no actual resistance themselves. At the other end of the tunnel, we caught them while trying to set up fortifications. They weren't nearly ready for us, and we just crushed or shot them all, and continued, following the lava flow. That is, until a rockslide blocked our path. Well, the Mako's path.

"We'll need to get out, continue on foot," I murmured. I didn't like leaving the tank behind, but, didn't have much choice. I marked the position on my Omni-tool and radioed Joker. "Joker, we're proceeding on foot. We'll need to pick the Mako back up before we leave." No answer. "Joker?" No answer again. "Damn comms must be jammed," I grumbled. "Everyone out." We all disembarked, and I took point, rifle ready. We proceeded slowly, carefully. Some stray rocks gave cover. And then a large squad of Geth emerged, pinning us down. We need to whittle em down, make them stupid. Weakness of the networked intelligence.

"We need tech attacks. Overloads, sabotages, anything. Fry their systems!" I ordered.

"Wait, Commander, let me do this first," Tali called out. She began typing away at her Omni-tool, her three fingers expertly flittering along. There was a pause in Geth fire before it resumed. But no longer over our heads or to our sides.

"The hell?" I murmured as I turned. A Geth trooper was collapsing from having taken fire from those around it, and there was one less than I remembered seeing. Quickly, I snapped out of it and keyed my Omni-tool to overload one, causing it to spasm. Kaidan and Garrus then stood and followed suit, allowing us to open fire. Before long, the Geth were neutralized. "Tali, what was that?" I asked.

"I hacked into the Geth," she answered.

"Wait, how? I thought you couldn't hack Geth?" Kaidan exclaimed.

"It's not easy, true, but not impossible. I'll explain after the mission," she stated. I nodded, though Kaidan, Ashley, and Garrus were both looking rather surprised. We remained in formation, pushing forward. We turned a corner and I immediately stepped back, hand up.

"Sniper perch. Garrus, get ready. We'll head out at once to give you a window," I explained. "Wrex, Kaidan, give us a barrier." The two biotics glowed a dark blue and there was a barely visible purple shimmer in front of us. We moved out at once, quickly grabbing cover behind rocks as shots rang out, including from the sniper. Then a shot rang out from behind and the Geth sniper collapsed, it's head gone, just spurting that white liquid. There's a euphemism there.

Garrus kept his sniper out, dealing with Geth wielding rocket launchers up on the ridge in the distance as the rest of us got to work on the other Geth. Tali hacked some, we overloaded or just plain shot others. By the time we were done, only one Geth was left, still hacked by Tali. She approached calmly. Pressed her shotgun against its chest and pulled the trigger.

"Piece of fre'eg," she cursed under her breath, wiping some of the hydraulic fluid off her mask. Garrus caught up with us, and we moved on up the ridgeline.

"Working out some Aggression, Tali?" Kaidan remarked.

"Three centuries and a home world's worth," she replied, not turning back. I saw a slight nod from Wrex, and I imagine Garrus would have flared his mandibles if not for the helmet. Ashley seemed a bit surprised, but, hard to tell. There wasn't much for anyone to say, however, so we just continued. The dig site was just ahead, with some silos that might be used to either hold fuel, or any valuable minerals they end up digging up while they find Prothean relics. Therum's good for metals after all. There was a shaft down into the mines on our left, but… there was absolutely no Geth or signs of them around. I didn't like that. I slowed my pace, starting to stick closer to some crates laying around, the squad doing the same. Just barely, I heard some kind of… clicking noise, followed by something slamming on metal. Coming from above.

I looked straight up with my rifle to the catwalk above, only to see a grey wiry mass plummeting down. Garrus and Tali both immediately started shooting as it sprawled out onto the ground, still on all fours like a cat. But as the bullets struck, it collapsed. Geth, obviously, but… what? I was about to ask about it when Tali seemed to suspect as much.

"I don't know. Model I've never seen before. Looks… organic," Tali murmured.

"Guess they figured out that having rigid metal bodies isn't always best," I remarked. "Watch your flanks," I ordered, as I heard the roar of thrusters from above. The Geth ship again, we immediately started to run so that we would at least be underneath the catwalks around the silos. Of course, the Geth ship decided to leave us with something that wasn't gunfire. Several Geth troops dropped from above, and, because fuck us, an Armature. A red beam connected with my chest, I dove to the side, my eyes following the beam to its source as the beam disappeared. More of those wiry Geth climbing on the ceiling like fucking Spiderman. And no pizza time. As I hit the end of my dive I opened fire on the one with my rifle, causing it to fall from its perch, but the others began jumping like madmen. Least the rest of the squad was opening fire too, taking down the Geth troops and the weird ones. Tali and Kaidan getting to work with their tech, Garrus choosing to just shoot the damn things rather than help.

"Tali, can you hack the thing?" I asked.

"It's no use," she sighed, frustrated. "The troops just have one Geth unit inside them, the Armature has several dozen if not hundreds!"

"Understood. Tali, Kaidan, I want the two of you to combine an overload on the Armature's shields-" a charged shot impacted the back of the crate I was against. It was intact, but I suspect the other side of the crate was melting. "Overload the shields at the same time! The rest of us will fire, when the shields regen, Garrus and I will swap with you while your own overloads recharge," I explained.

"Got it, Commander," Kaidan answered. "Waiting for your mark." I primed a sabotage, just to be safe.

"Mark!" I could see the shields fizzle out, and the gunfire now impacting its armor rather than being deflected. As I saw that happen, I sabotaged the Armature's MG, causing it to overheat. Our rounds just continued to ping off the armor, causing nothing as the shields began to recharge. I cursed under my breath.

"Alenko!" Wrex called out. "You're a biotic, right?" Why would he ask-oh. _Oh._ Good thinking Wrex.

"Yeah, why?"

"Tell me you can launch a throw or warp," Wrex took cover as fire came his way.

"Of course I can, but why bother? Neither of them will-oh. Right. I'll warp it, you throw," Kaidan answered. Wrex gave a nod and began to fire again.

"Garrus, ready?" I called out.

"On your mark, Shepard," the Turian answered. We linked our Omni-tools, and their overload charge, and fired, the shield's fizzling out again.

"Warping," Kaidan called out, a ball of blue biotic ball of dark energy impacting the Armature, causing it to stagger as it ate through the armor, atom by atom. Too bad the armor's too thick to make that all that effective. However… Wrex launched a smaller ball of biotic blue and it impacted dead center on the Warp's own impact, and there was a brilliant and bright explosion of cosmic power. The Armature was half just… gone, and half scorched to a crisp, collapsed.

"Good work you too. In the future, I want you working together with your biotics at least from time to time. More detonations like that should help us breeze through more encounters," I ordered.

"Shepard, I don't need orders as a reason to blow things up," the Krogan rumbled with low, short laughter.

"Not surprised. All right, on me, heading down," I called out, the others falling in behind me as we walked up the ramp to the shaft itself, the door opening automatically, and we began a slightly steep walk down. Least it was climate controlled in here. At the end of the shaft, at the other end of the cavern, I could see smooth, reflective metal, and a blue wall of energy ahead. Then a round impacted my shields, taking away a third of their strength, causing me to duck down. The gunfire was coming from a pair of Geth platforms lower on the walkway, where it had curved down. Being forced to a kneel, I had to allow the others to handle it. Once the Geth were neutralized, and we made it a bit deeper in, next to an elevator, Tali shared her observations.

"Looks like the cavern formed around the ruin, after it was built, I mean."

"This place is volcanic enough to make that plausible, but… this much? Hm," I mused. "Suppose it doesn't matter. Down we go." It was cramped in the elevator, with all of us, but it wasn't long enough to make it matter all that much either. We stopped at a kind of halfway point. A walkway leading to another elevator, and as for the Prothean ruin, there wasn't an energy barrier at an opening to its side, but, it was a dead end. As we made our way to the elevator, a trio of Geth drones tried an ambush, but a quick barrage of Tech attacks and Gunfire stopped them dead in their tracks. I would wonder where the rest of the archaeologists are, but… let's just hope they're alive and with Liara. The next elevator took us down deeper. It was getting hotter, and then the elevator began to spark and slow. To our luck, it didn't plummet. Though, that didn't stop Ashley from cursing out. We did need to exit on a mangled catwalk, barely intact, before jumping down to a secure one.

"Uh… hello? Could somebody help me? Please?" A woman's voice called out. I turned behind me, as ahead, was just crumpled catwalk, to the secure platforms. An energy shield on my right, and inside? An Asari trapped in a kind of… bubble. Her arms stuck out to the side. I holstered my weapon, simultaneous glances amongst the other's at, who I presume to be Liara's, situation.

"Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped. I need help!" she pleaded.

"We hear you just fine. Are you alright?" I asked.

"Other than my confinement, yes. This is some kind of Prothean security device. I cannot move, and I need you to get me out of here. Please," she explained calmly.

"We'll work on that. But first, are you Dr. Liara T'Soni?"

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"How close are you with your mother, Matriarch Benezia?"

"My mother? I haven't talked with her in many years. Unfortunately, we share little in common. But… why?"

"Your mother is working alongside the Rogue Spectre, Saren, who is currently leading the Geth in attacks against Humanity, and potentially in the future, the Council races," I got my big answers, so I gave her, hers.

"...What?" she paused, shocked. And that confirms she's not working with her.

"Later. In the meantime, how do we get you out of here?"

"There's a control in here that should deactivate the bubble. But you'll need to find some way past the barrier," Liara explained, shoving the distressing thoughts and revelations back. "But they cannot be shut off from outside."

"We'll find something," I reassured.

"Shepard, Geth entering the cavern," Ashley called out, her rifle starting to fire. Garrus readied his sniper while Wrex began to move in closer.

"Watch for a Krogan they have with them!" Liara called out again.

"We got one too," Wrex retorted, his shotgun firing. I just took out my own sniper alongside Garrus, picking off Geth. Add in Tali's hacks, it didn't last long. As the Geth fell, my own eyes fell on our solution. A smile spread across my face. That'll do just fine… I hurried down to the control panel beside the mining drill and linked with my Omni-tool. Break a basic firewall here, bypass, this, and that, and… clear.

"Stand clear," I shouted, and activated the drill. It sent out a beam of energy that melted through both rock and the Prothean structure.

"By the Goddess! What was that?!" Liara shouted from above.

"Our entrance," I called back.

"That's… one way to go about it," Tali murmured.

"Commander, I get the feeling you prefer the straightforward approach," Kaidan chuckled.

"You might be right, Lieutenant. Why bother being flashy when the simple shit just works?"

"Amen to that," Ashley responded. The chatter died down, and I led the others down and into the complex, sparks coming from the walls because of the damage. But we had a path that worked. There was a Prothean console waiting and nothing else. I looked at a display, understanding nothing, and before I realized, I pressed a button, but, felt confident that it was correct. It was an elevator and brought us slowly climbing up to Liara's level.

"How did you get in here?!" Liara questioned, turning her head as much as she could.

"We blasted through with a mining laser," I answered nonchalantly, as I started looking over the console that should have the security system.

"O-Oh… that does make sense…" Liara murmured. "Please, the button right there, center of the console," she called out. Hm, the big button I was already about to press. I quickly pressed it, and the bubble vanished, Liara falling to her hands and knees. She grunted at the impact and brushed herself off.

"Now what? We still need a way out?" Ashley questioned.

"Straightforward approach. Use the elevator," I remarked, and we just returned to it.

"How did you even know what button to press?" Kaidan asked.

"I… I honestly have no idea. We'll theorize later," I shrugged.

"I still don't understand what's going on, why would the Geth be after me?" Liara questioned, the distress returning.

"Saren's looking for the Conduit, some kind of Prothean relic. You're a Prothean expert. He probably wants you to help him, Tali remarked.

"The… The Conduit? What-" Liara was cut off by a rumbling all around us.

"Ok, I'm going to start mashing the button in the vain hope it makes us go faster," I muttered, my finger struggling to not actually do that in case it makes it worse. I tried the comms again. "Joker! Get the Normandy down here, lock onto my signal, and extract us and the Mako! On the double!"

"Aye, aye, Commander. Descending out of orbit now. ETA eight minutes. You or the Mako first?" he asked rhetorically, evident by his tone.

"Why the Mako, of course," I responded sarcastically. "We're all expendable, but not the tank."

"Whatever you say sir."

"Please tell me you aren't serious?" Liara questioned.

"Far from it," I answered.

"If that scrawny pilot of yours doesn't get here in time, I'll kill him," Wrex grumbled. We came to a stop at the top, a barrier wall blocking our route, but a console beside it that should deactivate it. There was more shaking before the barrier just shut off. A Krogan began leading four Geth inside. Staring us down. They lined up and we readied weapons in response, Liara remaining behind us.

"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun," the Krogan stated.

"Bloody idiot. This place is about to explode on top of us," Wrex grumbled. "Shepard, I'll handle this dumbass."

"You got it, Wrex," I nodded. My squad immediately opened fire on the Geth first, taking them by surprise as they all collapsed. The hostile Krogan was already laughing as Wrex charged, but he feigned a headbutt and instead used his Biotics to send the Krogan to the ground, pulling a knife from his waist and shoving it deep into the Krogan's throat, twisting the knife, and then removed it, joining us in a sprint out. Straight for the exit, rocks crumbling around us, catwalk collapsing behind us. I stopped at the shaft and made sure everyone was accounted for and ahead of me. We made it out just as the shaft collapsed behind us, the ground still wasn't settling. We got onto the Normandy, though its cargo bay remained open and we flew low, allowing me to safely disembark to get back in the Mako as the lava flow was bubbling excitedly, rising. So, I just engaged the thrusters to their full power, no holding back like it does in combat on the field. It landed with a thud on the cargo ramp, and I drove it safely back on board, the Normandy soaring away.

"Go ahead and stow your gear, then meet in the comm room for debrief."

* * *

"Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur," Joker grumbled over the intercom, just before the debrief began. It wasn't lost on me that the non-humans had all seated to my left, while the two humans sat alone amongst two empty chairs on my right. "The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull," he used a teacher-like voice. "Just for future reference."

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara questioned, exasperated.

"Jokes never harmed anyone," I shrugged. "Helps ease some of the tension too. Besides, since he saved our asses, he can make a few shitty jokes," I made sure the last part was loud enough for him to hear on the intercom.

"I… see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander," Liara stated. "But I am grateful to you. You saved my life not just from the volcano, but from the Geth."

"Do you have any idea what Saren want with you? Do you have any idea what the Conduit might be?" Kaidan questioned.

"I've only seen very scarce references to it, and only recently. I know it's somehow connected with the Prothean extinction. That is my true area of expertise. I've spent the past fifty years trying to discover the cause of their extinction," Liara explained.

"Fifty years?" Ashley's eyes widened. "There's no way you've been at this that long. How old are you?" Hm, I suppose Williams hasn't interacted with Asari all that much.

"I hate to admit it," Liara rubbed her arm, a bit embarrassed. "But I'm only a hundred and six."

"Goddamn. I hope I look that good when I'm your age," Ashley remarked, a half chuckle. Liara blushed just a bit.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like the rest of you, except, the Krogan, that is. But among Asari, I am barely considered more than a child." Now there was frustration creeping in. "It is why my research has not received attention it deserves. Because of my youth, my theories are quickly dismissed."

"Yeah, speaking of theories, a Prothean beacon has given me a pretty solid one," I remarked.

"I'm sorry, what? A beacon? You interacted with a Prothean Beacon?" Liara exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder. Hoo boy, this feels like Conrad, except not about me, just, what's in my head.

"But… how? The Protheans leave so little behind. Almost as if someone didn't want the mystery solved, scrubbing the Galaxy of clues!" Hm… there she mentions someone scrubbing away clues, like I quickly remarked to the Council the Reapers could have done. "But here is the incredible thing," she's going off on a tangent. Hm, why is it that when Tali did the same thing, I just found it endearing, but now, I just want my opportunity to speak? That train of thought was cut short when I heard what Liara had to say. "According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first Galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This… cycle, began long before them. Subtle patterns in fossil records, planets across the Galaxy with strange signs of unnatural extinction events. Patterns that hint at the truth. I am certain that the Galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Every time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive." A chill went up my spine, the whispers that I've had ever since the beacon reappeared. Truth, right, correct. It's as if they tried different words I knew to be certain they got the message across.

"They-" I cut myself off. I still felt… skeptical? About the beacon. I don't want to describe it as a certainty. Not yet. "The beacon showed me the Protheans being wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers. Least… that's what I think it showed me," I murmured.

"A vision? Yes… that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. Unfortunately, they were programmed to only interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would be damaged, unclear. I'm… amazed you made any sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly lost by it. Your will must be remarkable," she complimented, awed again. Yeah… like Conrad… My will can't be that great. Not when I know what the barrel of a gun tastes like…

"Ok, this isn't helping us find Saren, or the Conduit," Ashley cut her off, the friendliness from her earlier question gone. And… a flash of jealousy? Oh, right, Ashley did make that comment on the Citadel.

"Of course, my apologies. I regret to say that I have no information that could help find either of your goals. However, I have one offer. I'm willing to join you, to help unravel these mysteries."

"We'll take the help, sure. Stop at the Citadel to get you supplied after we take care of something in a nearby system." I nodded.

"Another biotic always helps," Wrex remarked.

"Agreed. Liara, go see Dr. Chakwas. Make sure you're fine after everything, and then a physical in case you end up joining the ground team. Everyone else, dismissed." They all began to stand from their chairs, making their way out.

"Mission reports filed, Commander. Patch you into the Council?" Joker asked.

"Yeah, patch em in. How long will we be waiting?" I asked. Joker must have already been linked with A comm buoy, and the Council must have been available. Right then and there.

"We've received your report, Commander," Tevos began. "I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy."

"I assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" Sparatus questioned skeptically. "Rest assured, Councilors. You don't get to N7 without being able to call bluffs and read people's intentions. That includes non-humans. Liara was unarmed when we found her, and those Geth certainly looked like they were trying to kill her."

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter," Tevos responded, a bit shocked.

"Maybe she doesn't know," Valern theorized.

"Or maybe we don't know her," Sparatus did the same. "We never expected that she could become a traitor."

"At least the mission was a success," Valern nodded approvingly.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary, Shepard?" Sparatus raised a brow plate. Annoyed at him being extra critical, I put my arms behind my back. "Councilor Sparatus, again, as should have been in the mission report, there was absolutely no way to deactivate the energy field from our side. The mining laser was our only option. While I would have preferred it to not have led to the volcanic eruption, Therum is a highly volcanically active planet. There are a number of other contributing factors we'd need to take into account. Such time does not exist while in the field." Sparatus just seemed to grumble.

"Of course, Commander. The mission must take priority," Valern agreed. Well, I don't know about that, but, eh.

"Good luck, commander. Remember: We're all counting on you," Tevos ended.

Yeah. No pressure.


	8. Bad Memories

The Sparta system. Still in the Artemis Tau cluster, and it's the cluster's relay system, so, we needed to head back this way anyway. It was only right that I fulfill my promise to Kahoku on our way back to the Citadel. There was a repeating message being broadcast through the system, that the planet Kahoku's men had gone missing on was now a restricted area. And this was Alliance space. Well, I'm above that restriction now. I read a quick report on the planet to see if I could make any conclusions on where the team could possibly be, or what happened to them. Edolus. Terrestrial world, of course. Atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide and nitrogen. That means we'll need to be fully sealed from the outside environment. Wide deserts of silicate sand, some rocky highlands. High rate of meteor impacts... maybe that was what had happened. But why the restricted area? The temperature is nothing to be concerned with, neither is the gravity or atmo pressure. No registered Alliance sites on the surface. As I sat in my quarters, pondering this, the intercom came to life.

"Sir, I'm picking up a faint distress signal on the planet's surface. It's… weird. Almost like it was being suppressed by the restricted area," Joker theorized.

"Tell the ground team to get suited back up. Liara can stay. Drop us off in the Mako," I ordered.

"Of course, Commander. We're already in orbit, I'll circle around the signal," Joker answered.

I don't like this.

* * *

The Mako landed with a thud. I didn't scream this time, I didn't hear Garrus curse, and, oddly, Shepard wasn't cheering and hollering like he was last time. I still don't know if I'll ever get used to the airdrop, but, if I can at least handle it, I can make do. This was an ugly, bleak planet. The sky, a light yellow with dark gray clouds, an almost constant stream of meteorites falling in the distance, most just burning up. We were apparently in a rockier region of the planet, but the rocks were just as dark and bleak as the clouds. The sand itself had a dark yellow tint.

I checked the Mako's systems. Everything was at full capacity. And the distress signal was just to the North. Shepard drove the Mako along. We roughly crested a hill, and the Mako came to a stop, Shepard peered across the open field ahead. There was a glint from some kind of vehicle in the center, or, at least close to it. Shepard still wasn't moving.

"I don't like this… I don't like this one fucking bit…" I heard him murmur.

"Something wrong, Commander?" Ashley asked. I saw Shepard shake his head rapidly from side to side.

"It's-It's nothing, Williams. Moving forward," he answered hesitantly. Taking a deep breath. He was nervous. And that made me nervous. Shepard drove forward slowly, carefully. Every bump made my heart stop. We were close, we could see damage done to the vehicle. Massive dents, and holes, as if… acid had eaten through? And what appeared to be bodies, strewn about. Barely recognizable.

The ground shook. Shepard froze. A massive… worm… thing burst from the ground on the other side of the vehicle, a massive blue tongue sticking from its mouth, and two massive tentacle things on its side sticking out.

"Thresher maw!" Garrus shouted. "Shepard, move!" He didn't.

"A Thresher? Ha! Now for a real fight!" Drack roared.

Shepard still wasn't moving. He was staring ahead at this… beast. Quickly, I put a hand on his shoulder and shook.

"Shepard, we need to move!" I tried to stir him. His gaze shot to me, I couldn't see through his visor, but he quickly put the Mako in reverse, then turned us right around. Just as a green glob of acid struck where we had just been. Garrus was firing the Machine Gun the whole way. Shepard brought us back over the hill, despite Wrex grumbling, once safe, he stopped, grasping the wheel tightly, I could still hear him breathing heavily, quickly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. Fuck, not again. No, no, no, no, no," he repeated to himself. He then scrambled to take his helmet off. He was sweating, heavily. His face filled with terror. He was going to hyperventilate at this rate.

"What's the plan, Commander?" Kaidan asked from back in the crew cabin. They couldn't hear him. They couldn't see… this. I didn't know what to do. I got onto the comms, perhaps Chakwas knows.

"Chakwas? Dr. Chakwas, are you there?" I questioned urgently.

"I'm here, Tali. What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" she responded.

"Not hurt, but, the distress signal, there's a Thresher maw. Shepard's-" I began.

"Tali, listen to me carefully," Chakwas cut me off. "Shepard is reliving a traumatizing event. Put a hand on his shoulder, hold his hand, anything to catch his attention. Talk to him, pull him back."

"O-okay," I answered. Trauma? That doesn't make me feel any bit better. I need to know what happened. But now is not the time. I grabbed his shoulder again.

"Shepard! Shepard listen!" he quickly turned to stare at me, eyes still wide. "We're in the Mako, we're safe. It hasn't followed us." His breathing started to slow. He gulped and started taking deep breaths. "We're safe." I quietly repeated the phrase a few times while he calmed. Soon, he nodded thanks and put his helmet back on.

"I'm back. I'm back," he spoke into the comms.

"What was that about, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"Not-not right now." he sighed. "Kaidan, can you drive? Garrus, I need the gun."

"Aye, aye, Commander," Kaidan answered, making his way to the front. Garrus gave a confused acknowledgement. Shepard then took his place, Kaidan, his. "Are you sure, sir?" Kaidan asked.

"...Yes, Lieutenant. We need to disable that distress. No one else can be lured here," Shepard breathed. "Go. Take us in."

"Right away." Kaidan took it slow, much like Shepard. The Maw had retreated under the sand again. Once we were close to the vehicles returned, the Maw burst back out in the same spot. Perhaps there's a network of tunnels underneath it's using.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I heard Shepard curse repeatedly. The main cannon fired, an explosion striking the head of the worm, it blew off a chunk of natural armor, and left a gash in its side, bleeding blue blood. It retreated into the sand as Shepard shouted, unloading with the MG. Kaidan was forced to continue driving, to ensure that the Maw didn't burst up from beneath us. It soon reappeared to our right side.

Kaidan called out, Shepard turned the gun, and fired again, more armor blown off, but it was still moving. It spat more acid, though it missed, thanks to Kaidan just continuing to drive. It dove down again, reappearing momentarily, behind us. I heard Shepard growling as he took aim, Kaidan turning to avoid the next round of spit. I saw the Maw curl up, preparing, and just as its maw opened to spit, Shepard fired. The explosive round struck inside of its mouth and caused the entire head to explode in a shower of blood and brains. As its body fell limply to the ground, Shepard continued to fire the MG, just, screaming in fury. He stopped only when the gun overheated.

"Burn. In fucking. Hell." Shepard snarled. He quickly ordered for Kaidan to disembark, alongside Ashley and Wrex to disable the transmitter, check the bodies that remained. Garrus returned to the gun, Shepard, to the driver's seat. Once he sat, he shuddered.

"What happened, Shepard?" I asked gently. He didn't answer for a moment, just sitting there. I was about to just let it go, for now, when I heard him murmur.

"Akuze. Fucking Akuze."

* * *

That was all we had gotten from him until we returned to the ship. Now, he had us all sat down in the briefing room. He was standing with his hands behind his back.

"I need to apologize to you all for what happened today. But this was not my first encounter with Thresher Maws. Some of you may have heard of the Massacre that happened at Akuze several years ago. I led fifty men to investigate a distress call from Colonists looking to start a new life. We assumed the Batarians may have been to blame, and so we landed outside of the Colony borders. As we made our way in, dozens of Thresher maws emerged, attacking. I was the only survivor," he explained, a hint of sadness, though I could tell he was trying to be as professional as possible.

Keelah, that's horrible.

Kaidan and Ashley seemed familiar with this. Garrus' mandibles flared, and Wrex just continued to look at Shepard. I think I saw understanding, respect, in the Krogan's eyes. "I nearly got you all killed, today. I promise, it won't happen again. Dismissed. Tali, a moment?" I nodded, staying seated while the others began to leave. "You did good, Tali. You kept me here. You may well have saved all our lives. Thank you," Shepard spoke quietly.

"Shepard, I-"

"Tali, please, don't argue it. Not this. Just… let it be. You're dismissed too, now." I opened my mouth as if to speak, but, closed it. I felt like there was more that I should say, but, didn't know the words. I let him be.

* * *

I sat in the mess, head in my hands, just nursing some hard liquor. I should be trying to get some sleep, but, good luck with that. I should be feeling better than this since I killed the damn Thresher, but, again, I almost got my team killed. Again. Not to mention how abruptly Akuze was thrust to the front of my mind. I had a bad feeling, my gut kept telling me to just get the hell out of dodge, but I didn't. And soon, I'll be telling Kahoku what happened to his men in person.

Chakwas had given me some meds to help me fall asleep, but, I haven't taken them. I'm not eager to sleep, where I'll just see it all again so vividly.

Footsteps. Instinctually, I was alert immediately. They were light yet sounded like the footfalls of someone wearing boots. They stopped for a moment, before coming closer. A chair pulled out from across from me.

"Shepard?" Tali asked. I looked up, seeing her purple mask in the dim light. The only thing I could see inside now, was her glowing eyes. With a little bit more light, maybe the tip of her nose.

"What are you still doing up?" I asked, avoiding her own question.

"I'm having trouble sleeping," she answered, clearly tired.

"No one's giving you any problems, right?" I made sure. Good thing I hadn't had too much of the liquor just yet.

"No, no," she reassured. "I haven't had any troubles with the crew, and Adams has been very nice. At most, I just feel… out of place," she shrugged. "This ship runs so quiet, so smooth," she spoke quietly, as if trying to just hear something from the ship. "It feels like we're not even moving. How do you sleep at night here?"

"In my experience, it's normally noise that wakes someone up, not the other way around," I remarked, a smirk revealing itself.

"If this is the norm for your ships, I suppose I can understand. But back on the Flotilla, silence means an engine has died, or an air filter shut down. Old habits die hard. But the silence isn't even the lot of it. This ship just feels so… empty. Like half the crew is missing."

"Right, it would be crowded back on the Flotilla, wouldn't it? Frankly, I'd just be… uncomfortable being that cramped. Different strokes, eh?"

"Different… what?" Tali asked, confused. I chuckled lightly to myself.

"Human saying. Different strokes for different folks. Everyone has their own things and differences and what-not. Some people like things other dislike. Et cetera, et cetera."

"Ah, true," Tali, I think, smirked under that mask. "It's funny. Back home, I couldn't wait to go on my Pilgrimage. I couldn't wait to get away from the crowds. Now… I miss them," Tali murmured.

"We got another saying for that one, too. You don't know what you have 'till it's gone."

"You humans say a lot of things, don't you?" Tali remarked. I just chuckled again. "I wonder if that's what the Pilgrimage is truly about. That it's meant to give us a whole new perspective on our people," Tali mused.

"It's probably what keeps the fleet united too. If not, or at the very least, few Quarians would have gained such an appreciation for the Migrant Fleet, and it probably would have dissolved into hundreds or thousands of separate groups. Ah, philosophy. The lifeline of society."

"That's almost scary to think about," Tali murmured. "I used to think that those who never returned from Pilgrimage were killed or kidnapped. Now… maybe they just wanted a different life."

"The fleet never finds out about those who survive? I swear I've seen Quarian run businesses out on the Citadel Wards. Not that successful, unfortunately, but must be making do enough to stay in business. Wouldn't be something Pilgrims who planned to return would start up," I asked. Tali just seemed to think about that more. "Well, whether you decide to return, or stay, you'll always have a place aboard my ship," I offered. She looked up, and I swear she smiled.

"Thank you, Shepard. That means a lot. I could never abandon my people, but in Quarian society, such an offer is very generous." I felt a small pang of sadness at hearing that, but quickly shoved it away. Doesn't make sense.

"Anytime. Now, I think I have a solution at least to the sound problem," I began. I stood and moved to sit at the chair beside her. "Stick your arm out, open your Omni-tool?" I requested. Tali obliged, and I began doing what I needed. "Have you ever heard of white-noise machines?" I asked as I connected with the extranet.

"A what?"

"Redundant nowadays, with Omni-tools, and the extranet, but what they do, is that they just play noise to help you sleep. Most humans I know who use them will have it play wind, or rain, an ocean, sounds of a city, that kind of thing," I explained as I typed 'White noise: Ship engine.' Plenty of results. "At least one of those should help you out. Mess with the volume a bit, find a good one, and you'll probably go out like a light."

"Huh. Thanks, Shepard. This is actually rather clever," Tali nodded.

"Tell you what. You can thank me by teaching me how to hack a Geth?"

"I'd be happy to. Just tell me when you're ready."

"Well, definitely not tonight. Sleep should take priority, unless you want to just end up passed out in those seats, heads on the table, and me probably drooling for all the crew to gawk at," I joked.

"You make a good point," Tali chuckled. "Thank you. Good night, Shepard." Tali stood and began returning to her sleeper pod. While I returned to my quarters for some sleep.

I went to sleep having entirely forgotten about the bottle I left out.

* * *

We arrived at the Citadel the next morning without issue. While we were coming into dock, I had asked Liara about any training she may have undertaken. While when it comes to firearms, she was limited to having only retrieved training with a pistol, she was a capable biotic, having taken lessons from her mother while they were still close. While she didn't believe she could perform such a feat as a singularity, she could throw out other biotic attacks left and right if she needed. So, the Alliance would supply Liara with a pistol like those the rest of us have and give her some good light armor. I decided not to bother with the shooting range for Liara, as if she had no training at all with the other weapons, that would all go much the same. So, she'd just join the others for the occasional lessons.

My first order of business on the Citadel, however, would not be so pleasant. I'd be meeting Admiral Kahoku at the Citadel's Alliance center, to pass along the bad news. Still, I'd be with the others until the elevator took us from the Normandy's docking bay to the C-Sec academy, and I'd catch a cab from there. The Normandy's airlock door opened for myself and the ground team, and… huh, there was a man waiting, clearly an Officer in the Alliance, given his uniform, but clearly not Kahoku. The squad tossed me a few glances, but I shrugged, moving ahead to greet him. As I got close, I saw the bars on his shoulders. Rear Admiral. He saluted me as he introduced himself, and I returned the salute with him.

"Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, Fifth Fleet."

"I wasn't expecting you, sir. I would have prepared a formal greeting. Apologies." I noticed Ashley and Kaidan stood at attention as well.

"Spare me the pleasantries," he grumbled, catching me a bit by surprise. "I command the Sixty-Third Scout Flotilla. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit after shakedown." Ah, I see. "Then the Council got their paws, claws, tentacles, whatever. They got them on our ship, and you." I resisted raising a brow. I haven't heard much of this Rear Admiral before, but, must say I think I dodged a bullet there.

"I still serve the Alliance, sir. The Alliance can call on me at any time for a mission and I'll be there. Now, I can advance those interests and others to the Council itself," I argued.

"Hmph. You still know what color your blood is, Shepard?"

"Cut me open as a man and I'll bleed crimson. Cut me open as a marine and I'll bleed blue," I recounted.

"I don't begrudge the politician's decision to throw you to the Council, no. It's an opportunity. I do begrudge this overdesigned piece of tin." I felt a fire rise up, feeling personally insulted. Hm, and I haven't even been in Command of the Normandy for a week. Funny how fast that works.

"The Normandy is a very fine ship, sir. She's served us well and will continue to do so," I stated.

"It's a gimmick, Commander. Useless in a stand-up fight," the Admiral dismissed. He commands a Scout Flotilla… and can't see the blatantly apparent value of a stealth ship? The fuck? "This… experiment, diverted billions from our appropriations bills! For the same price, we could've had a heavy cruiser! But no, we had to make nice to the Turians. Throw money at a co-developed boondoggle." Finally, he got to the point. "I'm here to make an inspection, Commander. Normandy is an Alliance warship. I intend to see she's up to snuff." I turned to my ground team.

"You're all dismissed to go about any business you had on the Citadel. Consider the rest of the day shore leave." I got several confirmations from the others as they made their way to the elevator. "As you wish, sir," I nodded to the Rear Admiral. I quickly alerted the crew and allowed him on board. I waited for him just where he had been waiting for me. He returned about a half an hour later, looking rather annoyed.

"Commander, I'm not happy." Well, that was obvious.

"What was out of order, sir?"

"Who designed that CIC? Putting the Commander aft of everyone else is inefficient. What if he needs to discuss with the operators toward the bow?" he questioned. Well, I remember what Anderson told me, and the ship's files that were passed on to me.

"Modified Turian style. They prefer Commanders looking over their subordinates, rather than in the middle of them. We wanted to see how effectively they can command with that setup. And as for your concern, the comm systems handle that just fine," I explained. I saw the gears turning in Mikhailovich's head. Hand to chin, thinking.

"Reasonable goal. Should have studied that in a lab rather than a front-line warship. And that drive core. Just had to shake my head. One-hundred-twenty billion credits of Eezo to make this thing able to move without giving itself away. You realize we could make drive cores for twelve-thousand fighters with that money? What good is it to hide for a few hours anyway? Useless! Seriously, why the fuck is this man commanding a Scout Flotilla? I should mention this to Anderson, he could pass it up proper channels if he sees fit.

"Sir, we can remain in an enemy system absolutely unnoticed. Monitor traffic, drop infiltration teams on enemy worlds. Normandy can be more effective this way than the Salarian STG."

"Maybe, maybe… But that's not the job of a proper warship. We're supposed to find and kill the enemy fleet, not count how many times their garrison goes to the bathroom," he scoffed. I had to resist rolling my eyes again. "And we need to talk about your crew, Commander." Oh, Jesus fucking Christ, here we go. "Krogan? Asari? Turians? Quarians? What are you thinking, Commander? You can't allow alien nationals free access to Alliance equipment!"

"Sir, not one of them has a connection to their government. Further, as you mentioned yourself, the Normandy was Co-designed with the Turians. And, the Alliance is more than aware of my crew, as they requisitioned better weapons and armor for them upon my Spectre induction. Finally, between Saren and the Geth, we have enough enemies out here. Treating everyone else with suspicion and distrust will only get us more enemies, not winning hearts and minds," I frowned.

"That assumes the hearts and minds are worth winning. That hasn't been proven yet." Oh, I'm sure the Batarian Hegemony, isolationists that they are, agree with that sentiment.

"Would you rather have an enemy, an ally, or someone who wants nothing to do with you?" I countered.

"Hmph. You sound like Hackett. Anything else you have to say, Commander? Any other justifications for the state of this vessel?"

"The Normandy is a good ship, sir. Even if you disagree, you have to see that her joint construction and multi-racial crew make the Alliance look better."

"Your job, is to look good, Commander. The Alliance navy's, is to win wars," he stated proudly. "I'm not convinced that Normandy isn't a waste of taxpayer money, but I am convinced you believe otherwise. And that you'll use it to its best ability. I'll be submitting a report to the joint military council. It will not be as… negative, as I originally thought…" Hm, least there's that. I gave the Rear Admiral a final salute, and he returned it, leaving.

The moment the elevator door closed behind him, I released the pent-up groan of frustration. Such an annoyance. I waited a bit longer, then called the elevator back to me, then took it back down to the C-sec academy. Oh, great, woman with a camera drone. Because I want another interrogation. I quickly hid the displeasure behind a look of neutrality, ignoring her presence until she called my name.

"Commander Shepard? A moment, please," the woman requested. She had olive colored skin and dark hair. She wore a mostly blue dress. I turned to face her, hands behind my back, raising a brow. "Khalisah bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News." That names a mouthful. "Would you care to answer a few questions for our viewers?" I noticed that the Camera's light indicated that it was live.

"Of course. What do you want to know?" The drone came a bit closer, lowering. Not quite in my face, but barely closer than the reporter.

"You've been given a unique position to represent our race. People want to get a sense of how you'll do that. Humans have been trying to get the respect of the Galactic community for twenty-six years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first Human Spectre?" An easy one.

"Well, Ms. Jilani, the Spectres represent the best of the best of the best from across the Galaxy, whatever species. To be asked to join them is a tremendous honor," I answered.

"Some have said that your appointment is the Citadel, 'throwing humans a bone.' Have you encountered any situations where the Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of Earth?" asked. Throwing us a bone? Really?

"Before I answer that question, I would like to remind your viewers and those who ask such a question just how quickly this has happened. For example, the Volus are the third species to reach the Citadel and are responsible for the economy. However, they do not have their own private Embassy, instead, sharing with the Elcor. Humanity has its own private Embassy. As for your actual question; The Council is concerned with the needs of the whole Galactic community. We're part of that community, and our needs are on their agenda. But so are the needs of the seven-other species that make up this community."

"You really believe that, don't you?" Jilani asked rhetorically. Surprised, not dismissive and insulting, to her credit. I gave a nod of the head. "You've been given command of an advanced human warship for your missions. Is there anything you'd like to say about it?" Not as easy a question, but not hard.

"Actually, the Normandy was co-developed by both Human Alliance and Turian Hierarchy engineers. Its design contains many impressive innovations. All of which, however, are classified."

"So, the Turians have knowledge of the Normandy that is being kept secret from the Alliance public?" Ugh, taking words out of my mouth.

"No, Ma'am. The Alliance brass and the Hierarchy's brass know details of the Normandy that cannot be revealed to the Alliance public, the Hierarchy public, or any public."

"Do you think it was appropriate to hand Earth's most advanced warship over to the Citadel?" she asked, not providing comment to my answer. I raised a brow.

"Well, this is news to me, Ma'am. I wasn't aware it had been handed over to anyone. I'm in Command, and I'm Human. As is the overwhelming majority of my crew. The four non-humans volunteered to help on the ground team and have not given orders to anyone on my ship."

"But you do work for the Citadel now, Commander."

"And the Alliance. I work two jobs now. Just so happens I can do them both at the same time," I countered.

"One last question, Commander." I could tell that this interview wasn't going as she had hoped. She wanted to turn my words to some purpose, and I wasn't letting her. "Rumors back home say you're tracking a 'rogue Spectre' named Saren. Do you have any comment on that?" Well, if this is classified, I'm not aware of it. And frankly, I don't see much harm in confirming it. The whole story, at least.

"The Rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius, was behind the attack on Eden Prime. He covered his tracks, but not well enough. Once I proved his guilt to the Council, they immediately revoked his Spectre status, and gave me the task of hunting him down," I answered. Jilani's eyes widened. That was something she wanted to hear.

"That's… surprising, commander. The official line says that Eden Prime was attacked by Rogue Synthetics," Jilani stated. Hm, ah well.

"Saren was leading them. We aren't sure how, but, that's the truth."

"I wish you luck on your mission, Commander." Jilani turned to her camera. "This is Khalisah bint Sinan-Al Jilani, signing off." She turned back to face me as the camera feed was cut. "Thank you for your time, Commander Shepard." she took her leave. Ugh, I feel like I need a shower.

* * *

I entered Kahoku's office. Well, temporary office, for while he's on the Citadel. His real office is back on Arcturus. I had knocked on the door, and he allowed entrance. He only now looked up to see who it was. A grin spread on his face and he stood to greet me with a handshake.

"Good to see you, Commander. Do you have news?" A look in my eyes caused his smile to fall. "What happened?" he asked, returning to his seat, and I sat across from him. We arrived on the Planet Edolus and found a faint distress beacon. We think the restricted area beacon was also acting as a scrambler, interfering with it. We set down and investigated. What we found… brought back some memories… The distress beacon lured them into a Thresher nest, sir," I explained sadly.

"God… all of them? The entire unit, killed by the Thresher?"

"We found bodies. Not enough for a full unit, but… there's plenty of explanations for the other bodies…"

"Damn it… Damn it!" Kahoku slammed his fist on his desk. "A distress beacon used to wipe out my entire unit, another beacon interfering with it, and no one seems to know anything about it?! Commander, something isn't right here," he then sighed and collected himself. "Shepard, I greatly appreciate what you've done. Now, I need to do my part, and inform the families... After, I'll start investigating this. You'll be the first to know if I learn anything."

"Thank you, sir. If this was organized, I need to be involved in taking those responsible down…" I muttered.

"That you do, Shepard. That you do…" With that, I left Kahoku to his grim work. I exited the Alliance center on the Citadel, walking through the Wards. Wasn't long before I heard an older voice speak up.

"Hey… Hey, you're the Shepard's kid, aintcha?" The Shepard's kid? Odd way of calling me out. I turned to face the man. He was in ragged, dirty clothing. His face much the same. Unshaven beard growing out, greasy looking hair, and the faint smell of both alcohol and ammonia. "Been a long time, huh?" he remarked.

"Do we know each other?" I raised a brow.

"Eh, I guess you don't remember me. Lieutenant Zabaleta? I worked with your mother," he explained. "Back on the Einstein. That was… twelve, thirteen years back. You were just a kid." I remember the Einstein, but, Zabaleta… Zabaleta… damn.

"I didn't see her much, that tour," I shrugged. "Ship was on patrol."

"True. Call your mom up and ask. She'd remember me, vouch for me," he suggested. Hm, I'll consider that for later. "Look, I… need a favor. I'm short on money these days, I hate hitting you up for money, but, man needs food, right?" A beggar. Like he looked. It was a pity, soldiers being reduced to begging. Unfortunately, it tends to be because of some vice or other they turned to after something particularly traumatizing.

"Alright, I'll give you a bit," I relented. I handed him ten creds, enough for a meal.

"You're a good kid, you know that? Thanks," he smiled. I sighed internally and suspected if he ever sees me again, I'll get the same question. "You ever want to come by and talk, I'll be around here. Can't afford a ticket home, right?" Such a damn pity.

I continued walking through the wards. I didn't have a destination, not currently. But soon I found I had meandered back in familiar territory. By Flux. Maybe I should just go back to the ship, or check with Barla Von, or-

"Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard, it's me! Conrad!" Oh god, not again... the man ran over, glances from the crowds as he didn't even notice the people he ran in front of. "I heard you were made the first Human Spectre! That's incredible!" he exclaimed. Through a fake smile and gritted teeth, I answered.

"Being a Spectre is a big responsibility. Just trying to make Humanity proud."

"The vids are all talking about 'Commander Shepard fighting for all of us back home.' And they said you don't take crap from anybody! You're showing them what humans can do! Can I get your picture?" Let's just get this over with.

"Yeah, sure," I forced some cheer. Conrad just lit up. I struck a stoic pose, relieved that I wouldn't need to smile for this, and his Omni-tool snapped the picture, and I relaxed. "Thanks again, Commander! I'm going to hang this in my living room! My wife will love it!" No… no she will not.

* * *

"My point, is that it's only natural for people to mistrust rootless wanderers. If the Quarians settled a new home world, things would change," Garrus scoffed. I noticed Tali was taken aback, insulted, but not saying anything. No, that's not like her. Confrontation is something she avoids. This is what we get for going to a bar without Shepard. Kaidan's been made uncomfortable, Ashley seems to agree, but I can tell she doesn't like agreeing with a Turian. And Liara? I think she doesn't know if this is a joke or not. And, it's not.

"Vakarian, you don't know much about the Quarians, do you?" I huffed. "Tali, how many times has your fleet tried to settle a new world?"

"Er… many times, Wrex," Tali answered, surprised to see that I was giving her a hand. But, I like her. "Unfortunately, those planets were either levo, had a poor climate that didn't work with us or, in some cases… the Council denied us the rights."

"Why'd they do that?" Ashley asked, brow raised.

"Dextro worlds are rare. Normally, when a new one is found, the Turians claim it almost immediately. Before I was born, we found one such world in the Traverse. Our people were ecstatic and petitioned the Council for rights. Some people were so convinced that we finally had a new world and began settling then. The Council became aware of this and… denied us. It shattered the hearts of my people," Tali explained. Yeah, that sounds like the fucking Council alright.

"Your people should have just waited," Garrus shrugged. I know his type. Sees it all in black and white. It'll take a lot to make him see grey.

"Garrus, I want you to try something. Put yourself in their position. And I mean, really, think about it. You've been forced off your home world, and all your colonies. You've probably given up hope of ever getting it back. Generations have past, the ships you live on falling further and further into disrepair. Hell, you're forced into some damn environment suits because living on those ships makes your immune system so weak. Every potential world you've come across so far is claimed by another species, and then finally, you find a habitable world before they do. You have a real claim for it. Centuries of the galaxy shitting over you, and finally, things may finally start to change. That's not the kind of hope people can sit on," I grumbled. Garrus seemed to pause. I don't think he was totally turned, that's not so easy when people grow up thinking a certain way. And Turians are particularly ridgid. Hmph, so are Krogan.

"You seem to sympathize a lot with the Quarians," Alenko broke the silence. I gave a nod.

"I don't remember the rebellions, let alone before. So, I don't remember what it is that my people have lost. All I do remember is us dying out and fighting each other back on Tuchanka. The Quarians? I still remember, very well, I might add, the days when the Quarians walking around the Citadel, Illium, hell, some adventurous ones even on Omega, all without their suits. And they were as common then as Humans are now. Their ships and tech were always cutting edge. Rivaled the Asari half the damn time, if not more. And I watched all that change. The Quarians died when they lost Rannoch. Those 'corpses' birthed new, living Quarians, but they were something… less. Add to the fact their lives got so much harder, their constant risk of death even on the fleet, the Galaxy collectively shitting on them, and the Council denying them the chance to improve? Yeah, I can damn well sympathize with that."

"So… what do Quarians look like, anyway?" Ashley asked, changing topic.

"Ha!" I barked. "Didn't they make you read history textbooks or some shit? Would have been a picture there. Or, hell, just buy a damn Fornax," I chuckled.

"I'll pass on that," she muttered.

"Buy a what?" Tali asked, confused. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Uh, well, it's…" Kaidan began.

"It's a porn magazine, Tali. Nude, whatever you want to call it. Humans started it," I explained. Tali shuddered, causing me to laugh more. Liara was blushing, heavily.

"Leave it to humans to enter a Galactic community and immediately start fantasizing about fucking all the aliens," Ashley grumbled.

"I don't think that's exclusive to Humans, Williams. Look at Asari. They've mated with every species in the Galaxy, and produced children," Garrus pointed out. Liara was blushing even brighter, not knowing what to say.

"Just… please, for the love of god, tell me Humans aren't fantasizing about the Hanar…" Ashley grumbled. Tali shuddered again, Kaidan made a face of disgust, as did Liara, and Garrus burst into laughter.

Humans have. Humans definitely have.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Few things I want to say here. First off, I need to address Garrus' words here. I am more than aware of how beloved he is, and I fucking love him too. But I remind you, these are actual lines from him in game. I can't just pretend that Garrus never held these opinions, else I'd be doing a disservice to his character. Part of what makes Garrus so fucking great, is his flaws, and how he acknowledges and overcomes them. (Unlike a certain Human who doesn't really change her flawed views at all over the course of the trilogy.) Second thing I want to say, is that when Wrex tells the story about that planet the Quarians were settling? Legitimate thing in the lore. Quarians discovered the planet Ekuna, settled a few hundred thousand on it while asking the Council for the rights, Council denied them and gave it to the Elcor. That's all I really want to get at in this chapter. So, hope you enjoyed!**


	9. L2

"Commander Shepard, I'm glad you came," the Asari began. I was contacted by her early this morning, before we were setting out. Nassana Dantius. She had a request for me. Odd, but, willing to hear her out.

"Waking up to a strange message from a strange person I don't know about needing help with something does perk my interest," I shrugged.

"Quite. Onto the point of this meeting, my sister, Dahlia. She's a crewman on a cargo vessel operating in the fringes of the Traverse. It was attacked by privateers, and no reported survivors." I was about to ask what she expects me to be able to do. I have nothing to go on with this. But, she didn't stop just yet. "Yet, last week, I received a message with her voice on it. She's alive." I resisted raising a brow.

Something was off. I don't know what, but, her voice at least partially matches what one would expect, but her facial expressions and actions don't. It has been a week, so, maybe it's just because of the amount of time? "She was the only crewmember taken alive. These slavers demanded ransom from me in exchange for returning her unharmed." I caught the change of title from Privateers to slavers, but, again, there is a tendency for those to go hand in hand out in Terminus.

"What's my part in all this? You obviously don't seem eager to pay that ransom, else you wouldn't have contacted me. And you must also seem to believe C-Sec isn't who you need."

"I have paid the ransom. Exactly as directed. But they have not released her nor contacted me since," she sighed. Hm, must be a newer gang, more start-up. If they gain a reputation for never fulfilling their ransoms, then no one will pay their ransoms anymore. And in the sense of the other gangs, they would not trust them. True, none of them trust one another anyways, but when it comes to a deal, the gangs need to know those deals will be fulfilled. Else Terminus would either end up stagnant or engulfed by constant gang wars. "I've made a mistake, Shepard. As a diplomatic emissary, I am required by law to report any attempted extortion to C-Sec immediately!" Hm, well, that at least seems to fit. Paranoid for family. Consequences out the window.

"Any leads?" She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yes. Fortunately, I've already found her. I tracked the ransom through several accounts. It leads to a small merc band operating in Artemis Tau. I can send the coordinates to your ship. I promise you will be well rewarded." Hm, going back to Artemis again?

"I can do it," I nodded. "I have a mission from the Alliance I need to do first, but afterwards, I'll help with your sister."

"Thank you, Commander. Thank you."

* * *

Our destination was the Hades Gamma cluster. The reason? Hackett contacted me, asking for my assistance. I was surprised that it was more of a request than an order, but I treated it like one. Some Fanatical Biotics have kidnapped the Chairman of the Alliance Parliament's Subcommittee on Transhuman Studies. Biotics are included in that. Apparently, the Chairman withheld additional reparations for those suffering from L2 implants. The buggy ones that give you migraines. While I didn't feel, and suspected Hackett felt similar, that the Chairman was right to make such a decision, we can't just give into the demands of fanatics like this. After accepting the order, Hackett did grudgingly pass along a message that the Council didn't like that I spoke about Saren in my interview. Officially, Hackett still approved of how I handled myself through the rest of said interview, and hinted that he still approved, if unofficially, that I spoke about Saren. Made me respect the man on a more personal level, having interacted with him directly now rather than hearing about him.

ETA to the Farinata system? While it was technically closer than Artemis Tau, we'd still be taking the exact same route to get there, but this time, when we use the secondary Mass Relay that would link us to the Artemis Tau relay, we'll instead be linked with the Hades Gamma Relay. So, still about a day. To be a bit more of a pain in our ass, the Farinata system is almost half a day's worth of travel just with our FTL. We were just beginning our journey, departing from Citadel, and I thought I'd try to do the rounds again. I headed downstairs from CIC and first thing I saw after stepping around the elevator was Kaidan sitting in the mess with his head in his hands.

"You doing alright, Alenko?" I asked. Maybe it was hangover, maybe it was something else. He immediately sat up straighter. "At ease, Kaidan. No need for formalities. So…" I gave a wave of the hand for him to explain as he slumped over the table again.

"It's just my L2 flaring up again, Commander. Nothing to worry about." L2? Well, coincidence.

"Ouch. I've heard plenty about those. You see Chakwas for some painkillers?"

"Thanks, Shepard, I have. She's got a stash of meds waiting for whenever it goes off," he reassured, picking his head up just a bit to nod.

"We'd be able to get you a refit if you want," I offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but, no. I have my reasons."

"Then I won't push. So, if you're an L2, that means you would have gotten some training at BAaT, right?" I changed topic.

"That I did. And, lemme tell you, 'Biotic Acclimation and Temperance,' didn't last past the airlock. It was brain camp to all the kids they hauled in. Oh, sorry, hauled in, is unkind," Kaidan quickly turned bitter. Well, if he's got a migraine right now, and issues from back to BAaT, can't blame that. "Let's see, how did they describe it? Right, encouraged to partake in an evaluation of our abilities so an understanding of biotics could be compiled." Kaidan than took a deep breath, calming himself. "Still, there are worse results of… accidental,' some bitterness poked back through. "Exposure to Eezo in the womb. Beats brain tumors."

"I remember my parents telling me about those mass exposures. Sure as hell seemed sketchy," I remarked.

"My mother was downwind of a transport crash. That one I can believe being an accident. Where it gets iffy is around '63. You know, Conatix was running out of first gen subjects. Bunch of guys in suits show up at your door after school, then you're on Jump Zero." I visibly cringed.

"Damn, unsettling would have been mild. How were the other kids?"

"Better," Kaidan let a grin appear, some better memories. "We had a little circle that would get together before lights-out every night. Didn't have much else to do, being cut off from the extranet, but it was good times."

"Bunch of kids in a situation like military school? Talk, roughhousing, both?"

"Talk shit more than roughhouse, but that still happened. Also would play cards or network games. There was this girl, Rahna, who had a little circle grow up around her," Kaidan smiled, looking off in the distance. "She was from Turkey. Rich family. She was smart and charming as hell. Beautiful, but not stuck up about it." Yeah, he had a thing for her.

"You two ever…" I trailed off, the implication clear. Kaidan raised a brow before it clicked.

"Oh! No, no. I mean, I wouldn't have minded, and, maybe she felt the same, but…" Kaidan sighed. "Things never fell together. But that's my own baggage. No bearing on the mission or anything."

"Of course. But, standing offer. Ever want to talk, my door's open. I may be your Commander, but I'm willing to be a friend too."

"Thanks, Commander, that's generous," Kaidan gave a small grin.

"Anytime. Now, I should probably go check in with Liara, see how she's settling in. Talk to you later," I nodded and left him be. He seemed to either be in a better mood or better state and picked himself up from the mess table himself. Now, if I remember right, Liara has begun sharing Chakwas' office behind med-bay. Gives her some peace, lets her do any research she feels a need to. And hey, if that means she gets some better medical training, never hurts to have another squad member who knows how to patch up wounds. I do, but what happens if I'm the one who needs a medic?

Stepping through the Med-bay, I gave Chakwas a friendly greeting and grin as she sat at a desk, which was returned. Entering the back room, I noticed Liara's half had been arranged like a lab. Liara was sat at her desk, but heard the door open, turning to see me, she stood. She took a formal attitude, despite her eyes still being wide open like an eager child or a deer in headlights.

"I never properly thanked you for the rescue, Commander. If you hadn't shown up…" she trailed off, the effects still lingering.

"No need for thanks, Liara. Just doing the job," I shrugged.

"I appreciate that. I know you took a chance bringing me aboard. I have seen the way some of the crew looks at me. They do not trust me," she began. I immediately raised a hand.

"Who? I know at least one of them is at least just uneasy with non-humans in general."

"Commander, I believe it may be less because I'm Asari, and more because of my mother. It's a mistrust I can understand. I am not like Benezia, allow me to prove it to them," she requested. It was… strange. Her voice was young, yet sometimes, sounded… like it lacked passion. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, maybe it's just a quirk of hers. But I'm also not getting the same suspicious vibe as from Dantius, rather just… weird.

"Alright, alright, I'll let it go. But that's only regarding anything linked to your mother. Someone blurts out some xenophobic shit, let me know," I stated.

"I can agree to that, thank you," she nodded.

"Good, now that that's settled. I have two lines of questions. Let's just start with the easier. I like to know my crew, so, tell me about yourself." I pulled another chair from Chakwas side of the room and sat down, leaning back. Liara took her own seat, eyes a bit wider than normal in surprise, brows raised.

"Me? Oh, I'm afraid I'm not very interesting, Commander. I-" she began.

"Come on, we're not in the field. Shepard works just fine," I reassured. Liara grinned and continued.

"Thank you, Shepard. Anyways, I spend most of my time on remote worlds, and often dig up mundane items in Prothean ruins."

"How big were your expedition teams?"

"Not very large. Normally over a dozen or so. It's… sad to see that none of the others made it," Liara looked down.

"My sympathies, Liara. If we could have saved them, we would have," I reassured.

"I know. I suppose I should at least be grateful I didn't really know any of them. I preferred my own individual expeditions and research. I often just needed to… get away, from others," Liara explained.

"Why's that?"

"I believe it stems from being a Matriarch's daughter. Let alone one as renowned as my mother. Other Asari often expected me to follow in her footsteps, to be a leader for our people. But while a Matriarch seeks the truth of what is yet to come, I am deeply interested in the secrets of the past." She allowed a small chuckle to come out. "It sounds foolish when I say it aloud. As if I became an archaeologist simply to spite her. But… long ago, she encouraged my interest. I love my work, and she allowed it to grow, nurtured it even. I can't explain it but trying to discover lost knowledge and histories has a special appeal. Shepard, you were touched by working Prothean technology! You are fascinating," Liara finished.

"Please try not to dissect me, or probe my brain," I joked. Liara's eyes grew wide with a gasp.

"Commander, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate-" Despite my better judgement, I burst into laughter. Liara's face contorted with confusion.

"Liara, I was joking," my laughter starting to settle.

"...oh… Goddess, how could I be so dense!" she groaned, slapping the palm of her hand against her forehead. "You must think I am a complete and utter fool." Not that, just someone who needs a bit more… people smarts? Rather than book smarts. Or… rock smarts… old rock smarts. "This is why I prefer to spend my time alone in the field. Otherwise I tend to say something embarrassing."

"You'll get the hang of it once you've settled in a bit more. This kind of thing just happens," I reassured. Now, I leaned forward, and took a more serious posture. "Now, onto my second line of questions. Liara, I need to know about your mother. What is she like? Why did she join with Saren? What moves we could expect from her?" Liara's own features fell to sadness.

"I… I don't know. She was always outspoken for the Asari to be more involved in shaping Galactic events. But she also was arguably more outspoken for it to be done diplomatically, peacefully, and with compromise. She abhorred violence, and only accepted it for necessary defense. If you were to present Benezia with a foe, if she saw a sliver of a chance they could be turned, convinced, she would devote herself to that solution. It just doesn't make any sense…" she murmured. I leaned forward, hand on my chin. She's right, it doesn't make sense. Not unless she isn't truly his ally. "I may be nothing like her, but she is nothing like this…" Liara choked. I saw a tear stream down her cheek. I let out a deep breath.

"We'll find answers, Liara. I promise," I reassured.

"Thank you, Shepard," she managed a response. I stood, and squeezed her shoulder before leaving, dropping a hint to Chakwas that she may want to check the back room. With that done, I made my way towards the slow as shit elevator, and thus, to the cargo bay and engineering. Down there, Garrus was rolled underneath the Mako doing some physical maintenance work rather than using the linked computer for software maintenance or calibrations. And both Wrex and Ashley were doing some weapon maintenance. I started with Garrus. Walking over to where his legs were sticking out from under the Mako. He was wearing boots over his two-toed, taloned feet, and some black, grease and oil stained pants that went down to his boots.

"How's she holding up?" I asked, my voice loud enough to ensure he heard me from underneath, and over the sounds of his tools. Garrus pushed off something from down there, wheeling out from the small pad thing his back was against. He was wearing a black, just as stained shirt with shorter sleeves, his arms, both the flesh and carapace parts dirty. Not as much as his clothes, but a bit of filth.

"The Mako is doing just fine. Just wanted to get to know it's inner workings better. Maybe I'll make a few improvements. I'm no engineer, but I know a thing or two," Garrus remarked, wiping his three-fingered hands off with a rag. I noticed he had those plastic guards over his talons. Probably doesn't want to break one against the machinery of the Mako. I wonder just how many maintenance panels he has opened under there. I then noticed that oddly enough, Garrus was still wearing his visor. Maybe it's just heavily customized and can help even with that, or it's some other connection.

"Would never complain about a better Mako. So, last time we talked, it was about your issues with C-Sec. What even made you want to be an officer in the first place?"

"Hm," Garrus nodded his head thoughtfully. "Good question. Several reasons, I suppose. Mostly the same as your average officer. Fight injustice, help people. There was also my father, Castis. He was C-Sec, retired now. One of the best. They still tell his stories at the academy. I grew up hearing those stories or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest," Garrus explained.

"I get that. Both of my parents were Alliance. I grew up either on a ship or Arcturus. It's one of the big reasons I signed on."

"Huh. I'd compare you to a Turian for that, but, well, the Alliance doesn't have mandatory service," Garrus joked. I could tell there wasn't bitterness or disagreement about that aspect of his society, just an observant joke. "Yeah. Anyways… my father's taking my resignation hard."

"He's not impressed you're going after Saren?" I raised a brow.

"He's a C-Sec man, straight down to the bone. 'Do things right, or don't do them at all,' he often tells me. He thinks I'm being too rash, too impatient. He's worried I'll become just like Saren," Garrus scoffed. Well, as it stands now, Garrus easily could. The slippery slope of 'what's one life to save a dozen,' to 'what's a dozen lives to save a hundred?' And so on, so forth. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. "He actually talked me out of becoming a Spectre when I was younger. Same reasons." Now my eyes widened a bit.

"You were a Spectre candidate?" I noticed my exclamation caught the attention of both Ashley and Wrex.

"Not like you're thinking. I was targeted as a possible candidate, alongside a thousand other recruits. Every year of recruits has a similar number as potentials. If any from a year at all make it, it's just the one. I could have received special training regardless, but my father didn't like it. He despises the Spectres. Hates the ideas of someone with unlimited power, and no responsibility. He wouldn't like you, Commander. No offense," Garrus explained.

"Your father is absolutely right to have those concerns, Garrus." I stated. His eyes widened, and mandibles twitched in some surprise. "Saren is proof of that. And who knows what other cases are hidden away where Spectres have abused it before? I don't need the ability to do whatever I want to get this job done. What I do need is the clearance to go where I need and to get what information I require. The authority to send orders for what is needed. And that can all be done within the confines of the law," I ended firmly.

"But Saren's not going to play by our rules, by C-Sec's," Garrus argued. "If you want to nail him, you need someone who isn't restricted by policies and procedures!"

"Just because you can break the rules doesn't mean you should. I don't need to stoop to Saren's level to stop him, and neither do you, Garrus. Our goal is to take Saren down, not replace him. It's one thing to have someone who can bypass bureaucracy. It's another to have someone who you allow to actively endanger the lives of innocent people," I retorted.

"I see what you mean, but…" Now, Garrus stopped to genuinely think about it. I saw the gears turning in his head. I was getting through, but there still needs to be some sort of event that breaks through fully. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I can ask of you, Garrus," I nodded. Internally, I smiled. That's it. I'll make one helluva Officer out of you, Vakarian. Maybe even one helluva Spectre someday. I allowed Garrus to get back to his work, and as I turned to continue the rounds, Williams had already approached. She looked concerned.

"Commander… do you have a minute to talk?" she asked.

"Of course. Come on, we'll talk in my quarters," I stated. If she approached me, that means she wants a bit of privacy for whatever this is. Ashley gave a quick thanks and I led her back up the slow as shit elevator and to my quarters. We sat at the table, across from each other. My arms rested on the table, hands clasped in front of me. Ashley leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest. A defensive position already? I gestured for her to speak. She let out a deep breath.

"I… have a few. I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but… I'm concerned about the Aliens. Vakarian, Wrex, T'Soni…" I noticed she purposely left Tali's name out this time. I was already frowning, which she noticed. "With all due respect, should they have full access to the ship?" I resisted sighing and pinching my nose.

"Williams, for Garrus, I see fit to remind you that the Normandy was co-developed by the Turians and Humans. There's nothing about this ship the Turians don't already know. Aside from maybe the names of her full crew. For all of them, while they may not serve in the Alliance, they _are_ our allies. And I also need to remind you that their place on this ship is still approved by the Alliance, as they delivered gear for them. Do you not trust the Alliance's allies, Ashley?"

"I'm not sure I'd call the Council races allies," she shook her head. I raised a brow. Yes, because aside from the misunderstandings of Shanxi, the Council races have certainly wronged us and sided against us at every turn. "We-humanity, I mean- have to learn to rely on ourselves."

"And we have! Up until thirty years ago, Humanity literally relied on only itself. Now it's time for us to learn how to play well with others," I countered. "We can stand up for ourselves without standing alone. Look at what happened when the Batarians got pissy that we were legitimately claiming territory the Batarians were only planning on claiming while they had their thumbs up their asses."

"I'm not saying we should turn down allies," she defended. "I just think we shouldn't bet everything on them staying allies."

"The Asari and Salarians have been allies since they first met. Same as when the Volus came around, then the Hanar, Drell, Turians, Elcor. The Batarians chose to stop being allies with the Council, as did the Krogan. Besides, what do we have to lose by allowing Tali, Garrus, Wrex, and Liara on board? The Turians already have it, the Asari are more advanced than us anyway, the Quarians don't have a use for it, let alone the ability to modify their ships that way, and the Krogan don't even have ships," I argued.

"Sir, that's how it appears now. But if their backs are against the wall, they'll abandon us." I could argue further, but I felt like it would be a brick wall. At least Garrus seemed willing to think about new perspectives. Pressly too.

"You got quite a pessimistic view," I remarked.

"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist," Ashley countered.

"And a realist is what a pessimist calls an optimist. You know my story, Williams. What makes you think I'm an optimist?"

"Look. If you're fighting a bear, and the only way for you to survive is to sic your dog on it, you'll do it. As much as you love your dog, it isn't human," Ashley argued. Ok, that's a stupid fucking analogy. That assumes you to know there is literally no potential alternative. Further…

"Williams, a dog also isn't a sapient lifeform. A pet isn't a person. But a non-human still is." I was getting tired of this.

"It's not racism, not really," Ashley began. In translation, it's totally fucking racism. "Members of their own species will always be more important to them than humans."

"Again, I disagree. It will always come down to the individual. Someone who thinks like you would only save the same race, someone like me will try to do their damndest to save both. Where is all this coming from?" Maybe if we can get to the heart of it, progress can be made.

"My family has defended the Alliance since it was founded," she sat up straighter. "My father, grandfather, great grandmother. They all picked up a rifle and swore the oath of service. We tend to think of Earth's interests as our own." I raised a brow again. There was something she wasn't telling. Something that would bring me to the heart of this bullshit. But I wasn't going to be getting anywhere by pushing. So, I just sighed.

"At the end of the day, Williams, you're going to just have to deal with it. Their status aboard my ship is not going to change, and you will need to work alongside them. Personal opinions aside." If this doesn't improve I may need to consider leaving her ship-side more often than not. Having such a weak spot in team cohesion and coordination could potentially prove catastrophic in the future.

"It won't be a problem, Commander. You tell me to jump, I'll ask how high. Tell me to kiss a Turian, I'll ask which cheek."

"Good. Dismissed, Williams," I nodded, and she left. The moment the door closed behind her, I slumped in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose. It just doesn't make sense to me why people just form this mental wall so easily. The first time I met a non-human I hardly batted an eye. Just… the fact that they weren't Human just doesn't register or click. It's known, but it just has never bore any impact for me. Grumbling, I left my quarters soon after, and turned to enter the mess and grab a protein bar, when I saw Wrex bite a chunk off a slab of meat. Only one eye glanced at me.

"Shepard," he mumbled.

"Wrex," I nodded, grabbing my desired snack from a cabinet and taking a seat. We sat in silence for a bit longer before he spoke up.

"Thought you might like to know. I met Saren once. Could tell right then and there he was a rotten bastard." My eyes widened.

"This sounds like a story I want to hear," I remarked.

"If you want. Hardly important. Nothing that will help you, but, fuck it," he shrugged, and leaned forward onto the mess table. "This was a while ago. Overheard some mercs bragging about a job near the edges of Terminus. It's Galactic edge, not its border with the Traverse. They said it paid well, and the boss was never around to get on their asses. And that he was looking for more men. Naturally, I checked it out."

"He's openly recruiting mercs?" I raised a brow. If that was true, this would have been heard about much sooner.

"It wasn't that open. While I heard it in a bar, it wasn't exactly a public bar. Afterlife's VIP section on Omega. Besides, Saren only showed his face once," Wrex explained. "We'd been raiding ships in the area for months when we took out this massive cargo freighter. It was the biggest haul we took. I was on board, checking bodies for anything that could get me some extra credits. That's when I saw him." I'm not the most comfortable knowing Wrex has partaken in these… activities, but at the same time, it's not like I had no idea he did anything of this sort when I first asked for his help.

"Do you have any idea what Saren wanted with the ship?" I asked, setting those thoughts aside.

"None. It was a Volus freighter that was mostly carrying trade goods or medical supplies. What weapons were on board were standard issue. Saren just moved through the ship. Watching. Never said a word. Couple of mercs called him by name, never acknowledged them. I had a _really_ bad feeling about him. The kind where you go cold, back goes stiff, stomachs churn, and you immediately tense. I got the hell out. Didn't even wait to be paid."

"Damn… you know anything else about the job or merc group?"

"Only that I know I made the right decision. Every single merc on that job, turned up dead in a week. Every damn one…" Wrex murmured. I let out a whistle.

"The gut feeling. Never fails, eh?" I remarked. Wrex let out a huff of air.

"That's the fucking truth. Not once in my life has it ever screwed me over."

"I can imagine. You just go ahead and let me know whenever you get one. We'll compare guts," I joked. Wrex just huffed air again and gave a nod. As I finished my protein bar, I took my leave. Only one ground-crew member left for the rounds. And I still need her to teach me and the other techs how to hack Geth. I quickly made my way down to engineering. She was, again, working on her console. She didn't seem to notice me approach, but, given she was able to hear that conversation between Adams and I before, I may be wrong.

"Hey, Tali," I greeted. She was already turning as I continued. "Think you could teach us that Geth hacking trick?"

"Of course. Just-wait, us?" her head cocked to the side.

"Yeah, figured it would be better for all the team's techs to understand how to do it. Why hack just one when you can hack four, right?" She nodded understanding.

"Alright, I should be able to simulate Geth code and their defenses."

"Good." I turned from Tali and called out to Adams. "Adams, I'm stealing Tali for a bit."

"Understood, Commander. We'll find a way to manage without her," he chuckled. Tali started to follow me. Garrus was under the Mako again.

"Garrus!" I called out. "Clean yourself up and head to my quarters. Tali is going to teach us how to hack a Geth."

"Be there in just a minute," Garrus responded, still under. During the elevator ride up, I just typed a quick message to Kaidan, same explanation. In my quarters, I quickly re-arranged the chairs on the main table. One would be facing the other three, Tali would just open an additional display of what's on her Omni-tool so we can see. She took her seat, and I took mine.

"So, sleeping any better?" I asked.

"Oh? Oh! Yes, your suggestion of… white noise was very helpful," Tali answered cheerfully. "Though I think I'd like to try getting used to the quiet while I'm here. Something new, right?"

"Then maybe I should try sleeping with the roar and rattle of a ship engine in my ear. Send me the file you used," I joked. Tali cocked her head to the side for a moment.

"Are you sure? I suppose it can be-oh, right," she began chuckling as I did. "A joke. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Liara did the same exact thing earlier. Besides, everyone slips up sometimes," I shrugged. Before anything else could be said, Garrus and Kaidan both stepped inside my quarters. Garrus was still dressed as he was earlier, but his hands and arms were clean, and Kaidan didn't appear to be suffering from a migraine anymore. I gestured for them to take a seat, and Tali began typing away at her Omni-tool, getting the proper simulation. I could almost imagine her sticking out her tongue just slightly as she focused on her work. It was a strangely common thing for people to do after all.

"And… there," Tali finished. She copied her display and a second screen appeared facing us, showing us lines of code. "I've simulated some Geth code as well as their firewalls and other defenses. Watch what happens when I change a bit of code, as one would normally while hacking." A single number in the center of the middle line changed and changed its text color from white to green to showcase. "But it's not this act alone that is what makes Geth so difficult to hack. A decent hacker can break through a lone Geth's firewalls relatively easily. Here," she transferred a copy of her program to each of us. "Go ahead, change any part of the code." We followed through. But less than a second after the change, it immediately reverted to its original state.

"I'm assuming this is how the Geth prevent a hack?" Kaidan asked.

"It is," Tali nodded. "Geth runtimes always keep a copy of their original code stored where we can't touch it. We suspect it only ever changes when linked to the whole Geth intelligence. It's like a template. Additionally, the Geth are always comparing themselves to the template. If a single irregularity is found, it is scrubbed, and restored. Countering this takes practice, and multi-tasking." Tali widened her display to show more code. But now, there was also a red line moving across, slowly, representing the Geth check. "This is simplified, but it sends the proper message. The only way to make a hack last long enough to be effective, is to slow, or stop, the Geth check. Flood their system with garbage data and interfering with the code of the check itself must both be used. But even the check, is checked, and down a practically infinite line of other checks." Tali used a program that covered her display with garbage data. Unlinked numbers and lines of code scattered. The same number she changed before was green and different again, but the 'check' was shifting through the garbage data, deleting it. The green change was ignored.

Tali allowed the garbage data to be fully scrubbed before she then modified the code of the check. It stopped moving for a few seconds, flashing red and green, before resuming.

"Individually, each doesn't stop the Geth for long. And even then, I have it slowed down considerably, as well as simplified. I can't replicate a Geth core exactly, else I would just be making a new Geth," Tali explained.

"Good thinking. I'd hate for you to have the urge to shoot your new Omni-tool," I joked.

"That wouldn't even be the worst of it. It would get into my suit's systems. I don't think I'd be able to safely purge it without a clean room," she shuddered at the thought. "It's a good thing they run on closed networks."

"So, show us the two together," Garrus brought us back on course. Tali didn't verbally respond. She just showed us. The rate at which the garbage data was checked and scrubbed was almost painfully slow.

"Of course, there are all kinds of smaller tricks that can help. Hiding additional malware in the garbage data to further mask the changes, for example. But none of this will matter if you don't know what codes to change. Let's fix that."

* * *

The seven of us were finishing suiting up in the armory. We were close to the freighter that the Biotic Terrorists had captured alongside the Chairman. The lesson from Tali had gone well, I think. We sure as hell need more practice, some of that in the field, maybe, but we learned things. The crew was already briefed on the task at hand, and once we were done suiting up, we'd need to head to the airlock by the bridge anyway.

The ship is the MSV Ontario. Kowloon class freighter. Standard stuff. Level and open, but the cargo could easily change that up. Internally, I quickly held a debate as to whether to order helmets for this mission. I decided we should. Protect our heads, and should they be crazy enough to blow a hole in their own hull, it will keep us alive. The reason to not have one would be to potentially help with negotiations, should it come to that. But, I could just remove my helmet then.

Before much longer, we had magnetically clamped our airlock to theirs. We didn't get anything over the comms, and while they wouldn't have detected us on our way in, thanks to the stealth drive, they would have detected us connecting airlocks and docking tubes. I'd take point, Kaidan just behind me, Wrex beside him. Liara and Tali at the back, with Garrus and Ashley in front of them. We readied our weapons and entered. A small storage room. A few crates, but no resistance. Smart, this wouldn't do well for a defensive position. Though at the same time, it wouldn't be for us either. Passed through the next door to a hallway. No one here either. Schematics of the ship pointed to the bridge being on our right. The other doors just led to other cargo holds. The can't be in either of them, else we'd have already met resistance.

Ironically, perhaps, it was the lack of anyone seeing us that convinced me that our presence was known. If we were still unexpected, then we would have stumbled across someone. Someone dicking around with their buddy in the cargo hold, someone on patrol in the hall, something.

"Tali, get me into the ship's intercom," I ordered. I could have done it myself, true, but I'm also at the head of the squad, right in front of the door that likely has a bunch of hostiles on the other side. Less than a handful of seconds passed between Tali confirmed her success, and patched me in.

"This is Commander John Shepard, Council Spectre. Surrender peacefully, and present Chairman Burns unharmed, or we will be forced to take lethal action." I gave them a minute, exactly. Nothing. "Biotics, give us a barrier." They obliged, the shimmer of purple in front of us as I opened the door. There was a wall of crates to the front and left. Herding us down a path on the right. I watched the floor for mines as I led them forward. There was a gap with one further crate ahead. Good for us to split, have more than one person able to shoot.

"Garrus, you and I will run to the next crate. Wrex, you fire from here. Cover us," I ordered. Garrus stepped beside me, and we broke into a short sprint. Rounds had impacted off our shields, but not even drained them halfway. "Dampeners!" Garrus primed one, as did I, and tossed them out in the same direction as the hostiles. It would essentially produce a mass effect field itself, though in a way that nullifies and dampens the ones the terrorists will generate. It would limit our own offensive use of biotics to throwing objects, but defensively, our biotics were unchanged. Several of the terrorists I heard curse as their biotic fields failed, their barriers fizzling away, leaving them completely vulnerable to gunfire. We shredded through them, giving ourselves foothold in this ship.

As we quickly learned, the entire cargo hold was now clear. But we had to act fast. I doubt they'll be as courteous to their hostage now. We entered the bridge hallway. Starboard crew quarters were clear of hostiles. As was the bridge, not even any pilots. Port side, however…

"See how it is? You write letters, and everyone ignores you. Force is the only thing people appreciate. So how about if I kill Chairman Burns and finish this charade?" a man growled. He had a pistol to the back of the Chairman's head, who was on his knees. There were also the last of the Biotic terrorists here. Less than half a dozen. They had their weapons trained on us, and us on them. I studied the face of the man quickly. It wasn't a hardened face, not one scarred by war. Fits, those we fought earlier didn't exactly seem combat trained. Trained in the use of biotics, yes, but not true combat. In fact…

Most, if not all of them, looked scared.

"Please! I was trying to help you people!" Burns cried. I slowly removed my helmet, humanizing myself. I wasn't some faceless soldier anymore.

"Put the weapon down. Let's not do anything we're all going to regret," I began. My old hostage negotiation and hostage situation training coming back.

"Why not? What have we got to lose?" the leader exclaimed. "Since the chairman here decided that we didn't get reparations, we've got nothing left to live for, except constant fucking migraines!" he cringed, growling in more pain. His L2s are acting up.

"B-b-but, I've changed my mind!" Burns stuttered. "Seeing y-you all… it's c-clear that you all d-deserve-"

"You had your chance! Some L2s are nearly crippled from side effects of the implants, but you voted against reparations!"

"Kaidan?" I turned to him. Kaidan stepped forward, lowered his weapon, and removed his helmet.

"I'm Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. I'm an L2, just like you. Went through BAaT, everything. You need Burns," he stated, calmly. If I'm right, these are just average people driven by both constant pain and anger to try and bring what they perceive as justice.

"Yes! Yes, if you release me, I can take another look at the request! I can get it passed!" Burns pleaded.

"What, we're supposed to trust you? And you, who joined with the people who gave us these fucking implants? Sure, you promise us freedom, say everything will be fine. But as soon as we surrender, you'll double-cross us!" the leader sneered.

"I never promised to let you go, and I won't make that promise. What I will promise, is that Burns will review the reparations request. Right burns?" I ended with a bit of aggression. He was wrong to deny it, after all.

"Absolutely…" he started to calm. "I had no idea the L2s were this desperate. If I had known…" he sighed. "The reparations will come. For whatever it's worth, I promise that." The leader and the others glanced amongst each other.

"Shit…" the leader murmured. And lowered his gun, as did the others. "I don't want to die. Maybe something will happen this time… We surrender." Guns were lowered to the floor, hands to the air. Garrus, Ashley, Kaidan and I started cuffing them. Once done, I led Burns out of the room, and to the adjacent crew quarters.

"Thank you, Commander. I thought for sure I was a dead man," Burns took a deep breath. "I promise the discussion will be reopened. I… I didn't know…"

"Next time, try to do your full research into crap like this. You can stay here. The others are all safely secured. A Fifth Fleet Cruiser is inbound to pick you and the prisoners up. We'll remain on board until then."

Ugh, politicians.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Few heads up for y'all. First, the lesson with Tali's hacking? I took what I knew about the game explained Geth programming, and tried to simplify it in ways that should make more sense. Additionally, I don't know a fucking thing about actual coding, so, that little disclaimer, but, hey, all sounds logical and simple, right? Everyone in that room already knew how to hack and code, just had to learn how to adapt it to work on Geth, right? Second, Ashley. I know I said I was trying to toe the line, and I still feel that this is me toeing the line. Distrust does not equal true hate, afterall. Why Shep is getting on her ass but not Garrus'? Shep wasn't around for that comment of his, remember. Plus, that Turian, as shown in this chapter, will actually take the time to think of a conflicting viewpoint. Third and finally, Liara. Don't deny it, she just sounds… really fucking weird through the duration of ME1. Part of that I think is the voice actor, but at the same time… her tone and voice is largely consistent throughout the trilogy, and I felt like her… weirdness, might indeed have a place in her character. Let me toy around with this idea for a while. If it goes well, you'll know. If it doesn't, I'll be forced to put some excuse like it being the equivalent of child-like awkwardness or some shit. Anyways, that's it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed, and see ya next time!**


	10. Careful What You Wish For

There was an oddity. We were returning to the Antaeus system of the Hades Gamma, which, is the Relay system, when we picked up a distress call from Trebin. Nassana Dantius' sister would have to wait just a while longer. I had quickly read up on the planet. Arid world, atmosphere mostly of nitrogen and argon, so, helmets to breathe. It's in the process of being terraformed by ExoGeni to make it more supportive of life. Not a fast process. There's only one registered survey team on the surface, so that's most likely the source.

The Normandy dropped the Mako off in a hot drop just in a clear, flat area not far from the site of the distress. We crossed a ridge or two and found ourselves at the site quickly. A small collection of pre-fabs at one end of the 'valley' and a hole dug into the mountainside at the other. I parked the Mako in the center of the Pre-fabs and ordered a search. Garrus and Tali remained in the Mako, watching, and keeping it ready. There wasn't a sign of anyone. Not even bodies. Only thing we got, was some data logs on a computer that they had unearthed some kind of alien tech. Confused, and with a bad feeling about this, I ordered everyone back to the Mako, made the drive to the hole, and ordered everyone out.

"Expect tight quarters. Shotguns out," I whispered as we began the trek down. It was just a long, narrow tube, like what was at Liara's dig site, but still, we have no idea what the hell happened. We passed through a door that led to a small cavern, lit by some still powered artificial lights. Another door placed down here was another shaft we had to follow. This time, to a larger cavern, littered with crates making it very close quarters.

"Watch your motion trackers," I ordered quietly. I slowly led the others forward. Before I even turned a corner, there was an ear-splitting screech that thankfully, our helmets compensated for by reducing the sound they transferred to us. "Defensive line!" I got down onto a knee so that others could fire over me. Scrambling around the corner, were those… Husk things like from Eden Prime. The Geth had tech buried here? "Aim for the head!" I shouted over the gunfire. The bodies just began to pile, slowing the husks down before they could get close to us. They moved with mindless ferocity.

They stopped coming. We remained just a bit longer, just in case. Eventually, as no further husks appeared, I stood.

"Sweep the area. Find some clue as to what the hell caused this. Don't open any doors without the whole group." The team acknowledged the order, and we looked around. What was first investigated and scanned was a kind of… well it was a kind of old metal… thing, still half encased in rock. An empty place in the center that looks like it might have held something.

"Commander! I hear something!" Ashley called out.

"Everyone, over to Williams," I ordered. She stood with her weapon aimed at one of the two other doors leading deeper in. I readied my own weapon to aim at the other.

"Listen, sir. Do you hear that?" she asked. I raised a finger to signal for silence and I listened. There was… a scratching, banging, coming from both doors. As if something was trying to claw its way out from inside.

"There's more of them. Everyone, aim at the right door. I'll open it, we'll clear it, and then the next," I stated. They all wordlessly readied their weapons, and I started to slowly approach. Before I even got halfway to the door's switch, both of them opened, as if activated by motion, and more Husks poured out.

"Keelah!" Tali exclaimed as gunfire erupted. I might have cursed at being too close for comfort.

"Fall back!" I shouted, I pulled a grenade from my belt, primed it, and dropped it as I rejoined the others as they back-pedaled, still shooting. The Husks were running for us, through our gunfire, and my grenade, took many them out almost immediately. It made the remainder easy pickings. I refused to allow us to split up, but we had to keep looking for a cause. We went down one of the shafts and entered a room full of those Dragon's Teeth. The now official name for the spikes colonists on Eden Prime were put on to make Husks.

"How the hell…" Kaidan murmured.

"You know what these are?" Wrex asked.

"Yeah… saw em on Eden Prime. Geth… impaled people on them to make those Husks. But… how did they get buried out here?" I murmured.

"This would have had to be recent," Tali shook her head. "Geth venturing outside the veil, especially into a relay system, even if it's remote, would have certainly been detected.

"But why? And these caverns are not new," Liara observed.

"Damn it…" I muttered. "Let's check the other shaft, then get the hell out of here, and alert the Alliance to run clean-up."

* * *

The other shaft had only led us to more Dragon's Teeth. And as for the Alliance, Hackett was surprised, and concerned about our discovery. He'd send troops immediately to secure the dig site and researchers to gather everything they can to figure out what this means. Now, we had another matter to deal with. We had just arrived in orbit around Sharjila, a planet in the Macedon system of Artemis Tau. Dantius' sister should be on the surface. We would most certainly need the Mako, and helmets. Ammonia/Oxygen atmosphere, and a high pressure. Our suits will protect us, fortunately. More to our fortune, Nassana's coordinates were seemingly spot on, as orbital scans had detected a small facility right where she claims the slavers should be.

We dropped in just to the south. We could have climbed its northern hills that border the facility, but I didn't like the risks. Besides, the Mako's gun wouldn't get the best shots shooting at that angle. So, I went around, approaching from the front, Garrus ready to send shells or bullets flying. There were watchtowers, and they no doubt saw us coming clear as day. So, Garrus gave the two visible towers a shell each, the last one firing just as we crested the hill to the same 'level' as the building. It was pathetic that this alone put us within their defensive line. The snipers in the watchtowers were mowed down by Garrus while I ran over a damn Krogan. Other rounds pinged off our shields, but nowhere near consistent nor heavy enough to be a concern. It was pitiful, almost. With the perimeter clear, I parked the Mako right outside the entrance, and we all disembarked.

I led us in, my rifle ready. One open rectangular room, empty, a door at the other side. I took cover on one side of the door, Ashley on the other. Wrex stepped in first, Garrus beside him. Evidently, this wasn't how they wanted to greet us. Stupid of them, there's a perfectly good piece of cover right in front of the door that would have been perfect for a firing squad. So, we took it. When the pirates swarmed out from the back left, shooting and moving to the right, hardly moving forward, we were able to mow a lot of them down. A Krogan was the only one to make it to cover without a limp, but not without wounds.

"Fuck it," I muttered, and just pulled out another grenade, counted to three, and threw. It rebounded off the back wall, as intended, and likely landed right between the Krogan's legs. I only saw chunks of flesh and an arm go flying away from the blast. As if to rally the pirates, this Asari with a bright red face paint charged out, roaring, biotics glowing bright blue around her. Wrex just slammed his fists together and ran to greet her head on. She seemed to smile, believing it was Krogan arrogance. What remained of her men cheered out and opened fire again, before Wrex too began to glow with an even stronger aura of biotics, reeled his head back, and slammed it down onto the Asari's, obviously dramatically increasing his mass in the process. Her skull was completely flattened as her body crashed to the floor. The rest of the slavers were quickly mopped up after that.

"Damn I love killing the cocky ones," Wrex chuckled. "She had her biotics all flaring as she charged, thinking it would scare us or that we couldn't counter with strong enough biotics ourselves. Heh, nothing better than seeing that smile just vanish…"

"Enough chit chat, let's find Dantius' sister," I stated. We checked around. The back room down on the first floor just had supplies. But the second floor just had an office. I found my way around its firewalls, and learned that this computer, belonging to the leader, had the last name of Dantius registered as its owner. Running a more thorough check, I found emails and files that confirmed that this was Nassana's sister. The slaver, not a slave.

"Alright, is anyone else fucking feeling used like a goddamn toy? Or is it just me?" I remarked, angry at being lied to like this. The others looked up at me, confused. "That was her sister! Not a slave, the slaver! She fucking lied to me! Next time I'm on the Citadel, I'm paying her a fucking visit," I muttered.

"My, my, my, Nassana. What have you been up to," Garrus murmured to himself.

"So… she wanted us to kill her own sister? Fucking A…" Ashley seemed surprised.

"You said Nassana Dantius? When I was growing up, I was told to avoid that family. Apparently, they are often involved in scandals," Liara stated.

"Doesn't matter right now. Let's just get the hell off this planet, see if anything else has popped up," I grumbled.

Careful what you wish for.

* * *

"Transmission coming in, Commander. Listed as urgent," Joker informed. I had just returned to my quarters, getting changed back into regular clothes. Internally, I grumbled as I was just getting comfortable, and it was later in the day anyway.

"Patch it through," I answered the pilot.

"Shepard…" my eyes widened. That was Kahoku, and he sounded in trouble. But, he was on the Citadel, right? "It's Kahoku. I found out who set the trap for my men," he panted nervously.

"Sir, what's-" I tried to ask. But he was still talking. Apparently, it was just a message, not a call.

"It was a group called Cerberus. An Alliance black ops organization. Top secret, highest-level security clearance. They vanished a few months ago. Dropped right off the grid. Nobody knew where they went, or what they were up to. They've gone completely rogue, Shepard! They're conducting illegal genetic experiments trying to create some kind of… super soldier! I… I don't have any proof, but I have coordinates for one of their research worlds. They've been uploaded with this message. Shepard, they're completely out of control. Someone needs to stop them. I've done my part. Now, it's up to you. This… this is probably the last you'll hear from me. Cerberus is after me now. I need to disappear. Goodbye, Shepard. Keep making us proud…" Cerberus? Never heard of them before. Whatever the hell this is though, I need to put a fucking stop to it. My father's words from so long ago whispered back to my mind. That he had a gut feeling someone planned Akuze. Well, if they planned Edolus… they could have planned Akuze, right?

"Joker! Where do those coordinates lead?" I questioned immediately. I made sure my tone conveyed urgency.

"Voyager cluster, Yangtze system… Binthu. It's Binthu sir," Joker answered.

"I want us there yesterday!"

"Aye, aye, Commander. ETA, two and a half hours. I'll go as fast as I can, but the drive core needs a discharge."

So, grab a meal, some stims, maybe coffee, and get suited back up. If Kahoku is captured, maybe they'll have brought him here. If he's dead… I'll avenge him. If he's still out there, I'll make sure he won't need to be in hiding for long.

* * *

The Mako came to a stop outside the entrance of the northern facility. Two turrets had attempted to stop us, but two explosive shells brought them down quickly. I double checked my helmet as we began to disembark. The atmosphere here was toxic. As for the facilities, there were two others within this region. One to the east, and one to the south. We landed within the middle.

The crew was aware of their task. Potential search and rescue, but mainly, search and destroy, find and extract any and all intel possible. I took point again, leading them through a door down into the facility. A narrow corridor with a door at the end, all underground. Surprisingly, nothing but a big empty room on the other side, with a second door on the left wall. They'd have to have known about their turrets being destroyed. We won't be surprising them. Another hallway. We lined up along the door in a breach formation. I readied a flashbang, and opened the door, tossing it out at the same time. We averted our eyes and breached. Kaidan and Liara worked together to give us a protective barrier as we mowed down a squad of disoriented troops. They were human, but their uniforms were certainly not Alliance.

There was some kind of barrier surrounding… something that was being observed in the center of the room, but there were still a few troops left to finish off. Ones smart enough to not look at the flashbang when it went off. Still, our combined fire tore through their shields and put them down. Perhaps this would have gone much differently, or at the very least, much more interestingly as we cleared the room. But, no, we incapacitated their frontline almost immediately.

"The hell are those things in the cage?" Ashley questioned, sounding disgusted. Confident that the area was cleared, I peered through. It was… a dozen or so tiny little… spider things.

"Keelah, those are… freaky," Tali shuddered.

"Open the field. I don't want Cerberus to come back and just recover them some other time. Ready weapons, but if they aren't hostile, save the ammo," I ordered.

"As you say, Commander," Kaidan nodded, readying his rifle. I stepped over to a console, made sure the team was ready, and pushed the proper button to disable the field. The little bastards started to swarm, heading straight for us, but lacked the numbers of anything truly a threat.

"Ugh," Tali shivered uncomfortably as the last of the bugs… popped.

"Not a fan of bugs, eh?" I chuckled.

"Is that what they're called? I've never seen anything so… disgusting."

"I don't know what the hell those things were, but," Wrex sniffed the air. "They just smell… wrong. Very wrong," he murmured.

"Well, if Cerberus is trying to engineer Spider weapons, yeah, I'm all for taking them down," Ashley remarked. No one argued, and as the facility had nothing else to offer, no intel, even, we returned to the Mako, and made our way towards the eastern facility. Two more turrets, two more shells. The layout was much the same, and the first large room was just as empty. We pulled the same flashbang trick again, and it worked. Hell, this time, I think more of them were blinded, earning us some quick and easy kills before mopping up the stragglers.

"Ok, what the fuck are these monstrosities then?" Kaidan exclaimed, being the first to see inside the shield walls this time. We gathered.

"The hell…" Wrex murmured. They were four, man shaped… things, but clearly… not. Green skin, no eyes, sharp teeth and claws.

"Goddess…" Liara choked out.

"Put em down," I stated silently. What are these monsters doing to people? The very moment I lowered the shields, they started to charge. A bullet to the head didn't kill them, but several dozen bullets anywhere did, causing what wasn't shred off their body from the gunfire to just… burst. Pop like a pimple into a viscous green goo. Good thing our helmets filter out smell, probably smells rancid.

We ran a quick search and found nothing of value. So, we proceeded to the final facility to the south. Our path there led us by an old Prothean Pyramid, which Liara requested to quickly investigate. I allowed it, and she came back minutes later, having checked a kind of compartment at the top. She had an old data disk in hand that she was excited to decipher later. Funny how that works, huh? Such common kinds of architecture.

As for the next facility, it was still cookie cutter. Somehow, they hadn't gotten smart to our flashbang trick yet. Perhaps communication between facilities is limited? Or at least, when under attack? A failsafe with some benefits, but when the attack isn't simultaneous, it's just stupid. This time, I checked inside the shield first. There was a larger… spider thing. About as tall as me. But there was just the one, and it had some sort of tentacle… things, a pair of them, on its back that pointed forward with some sort of spear-like structure. But there was also a corpse. In Alliance dress blues.

"Goddamnit," I cursed under my breath. "Kill the fucking thing." I slammed my fist on the button and just took a deep breath as I listened to our gunfire put down the arachnid. I made my way to his body and ran a medical scan with my Omni-tool. Dead for several hours. Surprisingly, there were no signs of any kind of trauma on his body, apart from needle marks on his arm. But the Omni-tool also detected something else. Before his death, he ingested some kind of data chip to hide it from Cerberus, most likely. It had passed into his small intestines. Alone, I returned to the Mako and retrieved a body bag, returning to place Kahoku inside. Everyone followed this time, and I placed his body down gently in the center of the Mako's crew compartment, signaling the Normandy for pick up. I'd have Chakwas retrieve the data chip, and hopefully, it has something that we can use to strike against these motherfuckers.

* * *

Shepard is… in a bad place. Since the moment we found Rear Admiral Kahoku's body. I know he said that he was the man who gave Shepard his "Star of Terra," but… was there something more? He's taking this awfully hard for just that. Is it something about this, Cerberus, in particular? I feel like I should talk to Shepard, in thanks for him helping me feel welcome and comfortable, but, there just isn't time. We immediately set course for a main Cerberus facility that's only a system away. Everyone was still suited up, and Shepard had been the only one to leave the cargo hold.

"The Commander is taking this hard," Ashley remarked.

"They did kill the guy who gave him his star of Terra, Williams," Kaidan reminded.

"Sure, but did they really know each other that well? Has Shepard came across Cerberus before?" Ashley questioned.

"I think it has something to do with the Thresher Maws. If this, Cerberus, orchestrated the death of Kahoku's men on Edolus, maybe he thinks Akuze could be the same," Garrus suggested.

"Makes sense to me. Thresher's almost never group up like they did on Akuze. Not even back on Tuchanka," Wrex remarked.

"Is there… anything we can do to help him?" I asked cautiously.

"No," Wrex began. "I wouldn't think so. But if he does suspect Cerberus caused Akuze, and he's proven right? Shepard is going to tear them down piece by piece."

"That sounds… extreme," Liara muttered. Wrex quickly let out a huff of air.

"You may be older, than Shepard, Liara, but at the same time, you're younger than him, in a sense. All soldiers have scars. You won't understand until you get some yourself

"Yeah… After Eden Prime, I'd love to melt down all the Geth out there to scrap for my platoon and the Colonists," Ashley grumbled.

"Well, good to know there's at least about seventeen-million and one people in the Galaxy who want that," I remarked.

"I'm starting to think a fair number of Humans think the same for Eden Prime," Kaidan suggested.

"Everyone, in the Mako," Shepard called out. Glancing to the source of the voice, I noticed that the elevator had just arrived back down here with him fully suited up. Our conversation was immediately ceased, and we did as ordered. As I was preparing the Mako's systems, I noticed that Shepard was… tense. "We're getting close to our LZ on the planet Nepheron. Secure your suits, the atmo is not breathable," Shepard reminded. Before long, the cargo bay doors opened and the Mako entered free fall, heading straight towards a rocky and white surface. My mask adding a slight purple tint to it all, as always. I still tensed, but I couldn't enjoy this one, I just wasn't in that kind of mood. I was concerned for Shepard, for whatever it was that was causing him such distress.

The Mako landed with a thud, even with the thrusters lessening the impact, and we began the drive. Mostly just up a mountain face, sometimes getting close to a ninety-degree angle, but the Mako kept going. Impressive. We crested the mountain, and there was a small crater like clearing that was partially fortified. We could see Cerberus troops moving around another bunker-like hatch, just like on Binthu.

"Mow em down, Garrus," Shepard ordered. The machine gun opened fire, the troops scrambling for cover that wouldn't last long against the caliber of the rounds it uses.

"Small arms fire impacting shields. Nothing to be concerned about," I called out. "Wait, rocket incoming. Must have some anti-armor."

"Won't be a problem," Shepard remarked, using the thrusters to jump over it. Garrus focused his fire on the rocket's source, and soon, the threats were neutralized. We disembarked and entered the facility. Weapons ready, in formation. Shepard at the front, Wrex and Kaidan behind him, Garrus and Ashley, then Liara and I. The first room had no hostiles, but there were stacks of what appeared to be concrete blocks, for some reason or other. Like before, we entered the second hallway, but Shepard stopped us.

"I don't want to push our luck with the flashbang again. Biotics, give us a barrier. Techs, sabotage weapons, overload shields. If they have biotics, dampen them. Williams, you just keep shooting while moving with the group, the others and I will add our own fire whenever we have a chance," he ordered. Liara, Wrex, and Kaidan took point, forming the barrier around us as Shepard opened the door. Rounds immediately started to ping off and I could see that while there was a large support beam a few meters ahead, on either side was a crate with a firing squad of three each. I started by sabotaging the weapons on those on the left, followed by an overload which took care of all their shields, and Garrus handled the other three. Mine had all dropped dead before I could open fire, and I only managed to get a shotgun round out in the direction of Garrus' before they dropped. But we weren't clear yet.

"We are humanity's sword! Kill the Xeno's!" a Cerberus commando ordered. We quickly fell into cover as gunfire erupted from ahead, I saw a team of about ten additional soldiers fall in from a back room.

"Biotics, get some detonations! Williams, throw some grenades!" Shep ordered. I kept my head down as grenades were primed, cooked, and thrown, and I heard the detonations from combined dark energy, followed by the grenades themselves. "Push forward!" I suppose that handled enough to make this relatively safe. We all obliged, biotics taking point again with a barrier. The gunfire stopped. The floor littered with blood and bodies. There was a cough. We turned to see one of the soldiers clinging onto life.

"Humanity will-" he sputtered. "Reign supreme." He started coughing again. Shepard ran a medical scan. Hoping that he'd have gotten a prisoner, I suspect.

"Lethal wounds. You aren't going to make it. Pity," Shepard stated. He sounded… entirely disinterested. He drew his pistol and fired, a bullet blowing out from the back of the soldier's skull. He holstered his gun. "Search the rest of the base. See if you can find anything." I feel like I should be shaken at what I witnessed, but, if he was going to die anyway, that was merciful, wasn't it? I shook my head clear of the thoughts and searched. There was nothing but bodies now in this chamber, A third hallway led to a split, barracks on one side, and a kind of comm room or database in the other. I called Shepard over and he gave me the go-ahead to start gathering the files myself. Carefully, I linked my Omni-tool and started to decrypt. An alarm in the base went off.

"Damn it, must have been waiting for an attempt. The database is purging!" I exclaimed. I began brute forcing my way through firewalls, and Shepard linked himself in as well, finding his way into the systems as I did the same, our efforts helping one another. We both copied every file we could, trying to divide different parts of the database between us. Soon, it all stopped, the memory completely wiped. Still, we had a sizeable amount saved. I quickly checked one. "Encrypted, but better than deleted. Want me to transfer them?" I asked the Commander.

"Hold onto them for now. In fact, copy yours. Give one set of copies to me, Garrus, Kaidan, and more copies that I can transfer straight to Hackett. I'll copy my own files, give them to you, Garrus, and Kaidan, and transfer them to Hackett," Shepard stated.

"Why spread them out so much?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Because between all of us, we'll get it decrypted and get it all out there. If one of us ever loses our copies, then these files won't be gone. If they hunted down Kahoku just for investigating, I doubt they'd treat us much better," he explained. "Garrus, Kaidan, my position." The two of them entered the room almost immediately.

"Hold onto these files. Don't tell anyone you have them, just keep them safe and secure," he typed away at his Omni-tool, sending copies, so I quickly did the same.

"Sir?" Kaidan asked, confused.

"I'll be sending these copies to Hackett as well, but since these fuckers used to be Alliance Black ops, I'd rather we had multiple copies out here, just in case," Shepard answered.

"Smart. They probably left a few on the inside," Garrus nodded. "Want us to try decrypting them too?"

"Yeah. Whenever you have free time, if you could just do a bit of work on it, that would be great. Whoever breaks through first will just transfer the decrypted files," Shepard stated. I can do that.

"What do you want us to do after everything is decrypted?" I asked.

"Spread that shit like a wildfire. Give it to the Alliance, the Council, hell, I'm fine with the Migrant Fleet having it. I want these fuckers to burn. Cerberus guards the gates of hell? Well, let's shove them inside," he growled.

"Uh… sorry, Commander, what?" Garrus asked before I could.

"Oh! Right. Old human mythology. Cerberus was the name of a three-headed canine that guarded hell. Alright, come on, let's get out of here," Shepard stated. He seemed to have calmed down now that we had something to work with. Maybe he felt like some measure of justice had been served? Either way, I doubt it's over yet.

* * *

"Commander, it said your communication was urgent?" Hackett greeted as he answered the call.

"Yes sir. And confidential. Are you alone with a secure connection?" I asked to verify. I was in my quarters, and, as verified, a secure connection. Several of my own little firewalls thrown in.

"Indeed? Yeoman, transfer the call to my quarters," Hackett stated, obviously speaking with his own Yeoman, rather than me. "Just a moment, Commander." I waited a few minutes as the Admiral came to his quarters, and now, instead of just an audio call, it became a vid-call. The old Admiral's face appearing on the monitor of my terminal. His salt and pepper beard and scar along his right cheek. "Proceed."

"Of course, sir. To begin with, I regret to inform you a little over two hours ago, Rear Admiral Kahoku was found dead on the planet Binthu." Hackett's features immediately changed to surprise.

"Dead? By who? Saren? Batarians?"

"Neither, sir. A few hours before finding him, the Normandy received a message from him. He was on the run from an ex-Alliance Black Ops group known as Cerberus. They've gone rogue. Kahoku was investigating them when they forced him off the grid, and captured him," I explained.

"Cerberus? Even with my clearance, this is the first I've heard of them. Troubling… So, what else do you have for me?"

"Kahoku's message involved coordinates that led us to Binthu. Cerberus had three facilities on the planet's surface. Each housed some kind of… experiment. Sending images now." I typed at the terminal, sending images taken from our armor cam footage.

"So, some kind of genetic experiments on Arachnids, and, something on people?" The Admiral questioned.

"I'm unsure. They were immediately hostile, and when killed, they simply popped into a green goo. I don't know if something like that could ever have been human," I answered. The Admiral rubbed his chin in thought, no doubt planning what measures he'd take against the terrorists. "If I may continue…" Hackett gestured that I may. "When we found Kahoku, there was no physical trauma on his body, but instead, we found injection marks from several needles. Chakwas examined his body and has a full medical report I'll deliver. Additionally, Kahoku had swallowed a data chip with coordinates to another Cerberus facility on the planet Nepheron. While there is absolutely no way this was their headquarters, it was seemingly an important facility. My team and I received a large number of files from their database, and the rest were wiped before we could copy them as well. I'm now sending those files, and the medical report to you now."

"Thank you, Commander," Hackett nodded. "I assume Cerberus didn't grant you any prisoners?"

"They did not, sir."

"Hm, pity. Ah well. I'll run these files by analysts I trust. One final question. Do you know why Kahoku was investigating Cerberus in the first place?" Hackett clasped his hands together.

"I do, Admiral. Coincidentally, he was there for my Spectre induction. That was when I learned he was trying to find out what happened to some of his men that went missing on the planet Edolus. Strangely, it had become a restricted area. I offered to investigate as I could now bypass the restriction. What I found…" I sighed. "Was that his men had been lured by a distress beacon into the middle of a… Thresher nest." I ran a hand over my face. The Admiral's eyes widened, but he didn't speak, not yet. He just paused.

"Do you think they're responsible for Akuze?" The Admiral questioned firmly. He did not hesitate anywhere in his question.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"It's quite the fucking coincidence," I growled.

"Agreed, Commander. I'll be running my own investigation into this matter, more subtly than Kahoku. While I suspect I'd be too high profile for Cerberus, I won't push my luck. And I'm sure you'll be running your own investigation. I'll let you know if anything turns up regarding either Cerberus or Akuze. Anything else?" Hackett ended.

"No, sir. Thank you, sir," I saluted. The Admiral nodded.

"Then get some rest, Commander. You earned it. Hackett out."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just saying a quick thing because I know there are a few people out there. Damn fucking right I'm making Cerberus fucking bad guys. Because that's what they goddamn ARE. All the shit they pull in ME1 (Yes, there is abso-fucking-lutely more than just this chapter in ME1) Also the shit they pull in ME2. For the sake of the argument because indoctrination I'll ignore ME3. No one argues for their ME3 stupidity. I think. And this is not to mention the shit they have also pulled in their comics and the books. Cerberus. Is. Fucking. Evil. They think they're morally correct, and they're well made villains when you take all the pieces together, but they are fucking evil.**


	11. Pizza Time

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Few things. First, no, I do not regret in the slightest the name of this chapter. And yes, it is relevant to the contents of this chapter. Second, I've gotten several reviews over time that have a common theme. So, I decided I'd give it a shot. You can see what it is right here. At the start of every chapter, as well as after each break, I'm going to, in bold, name what POV the section has. That's all for now. Hope y'all enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

I had one of the dreams last night again. Not one from the beacon, no, but the dreams I've had ever since Akuze. Essentially, those dreams, nightmares, rather, just involve me reliving Akuze. But this time, the dream was just slightly different. And when I say slight, I mean that the differences would never have been noticed had one not had a complete, perfect understanding, and memory of the environment and their surroundings.

What were these differences? It starts when we first got eyes on the abandoned colony. Shapes, specks, just barely visible, but moving out of my line of sight. And I only ever saw them for half a second, barely registering. The next differences came as we were running from the Threshers. A glint of sunlight reflecting off the roofs over one or two of the larger pre-fab buildings, farther back, towards the edge of the Colony I never went to, but in the same direction Toombs and Gregory always run off to. I can never stop them. The untrained would just consider those glints to be natural. Reflections from the sun off the roof. But, no, those glints are like those from a lens. Not a sniper lens, else we'd have been taking fire. More akin to some kind of observation.

Finally, there's what I hear while I'm waiting for the rescue team. Though, in my dreams, that's never what comes for me. Instead, at least one Thresher. Breaking through the floor, the walls, the ceiling, spitting acid, eating me alive, any different number of things. I've had so many of these dreams I've essentially just become desensitized, stopped balling up into the corner of the room and crying. I just waited for the apparent death to come and wake me. But as I waited, instead of total silence, I heard… something. As I paid closer attention, I figured out what the noise was. Footsteps on the roof. Quiet, light, but footsteps. I had readied my rifle to go out and shoot the bastards in my dream, but as I stepped outside, the sunlight was blinding. I woke up.

I felt cold as I sat up, despite the blanket and temperature control. But there wasn't much to be done about those familiar sensations. Well, not much that wouldn't fall outside my normal routine anyways. I got out of bed, undressed, entered the private bathroom in my quarters, used it, and took a hot shower in the same room.

Joker had just left the Normandy in orbit around one of the system's gas giants. The engines were offline, and the drive core at minimal power. No emissions for any unfriendlies to detect. Besides, we'd detect them first, and the night crew would get us out of dodge. As far as objectives went, we currently were lacking. No pressing ops from Hackett, and no lead on the Geth and Saren as of yet. I suppose we may as well just go back to the Citadel. Either we'll pick up something there or will wait there until the call for something comes. We could gather intel ourselves with our stealth ship, but to do that, I'd need to know where to go in the first place. And short of using the stealth drive to sneak our way to Rannoch itself and listen in on the Geth, which, will probably get us all killed, I don't see a way to learn that information.

"Commander, you're getting a call. It's… weird. Patch it through?" Joker called over the intercom. I raised a brow as I finished getting dressed.

"Yeah. Patch it into my quarters," I responded. Joker acknowledged, and there was a moment of static as the transfer was made.

"Greetings, Commander Shepard," a masculine voice began. "I represent a party interested in obtaining information on Cerberus activities." Has the fact we already have intel on Cerberus leaked? Best not give him an answer that confirms for him in case it's just a suspicion.

"Are you trying to hire me to hunt down Cerberus? Who are you anyway?"

"Who I am is inconsequential, Commander. Though I can tell you who I represent. I'm an agent for the Shadow Broker. And, are we asking you to hunt down Cerberus? No, Commander. Allow me to explain. Admiral Kahoku contacted my employer looking for information on the location of any Cerberus facilities," the man explained. Ah, makes sense how he Kahoku got the locations so quickly. "We provided that information on the promise that he would turn over copies of all the files gathered from Cerberus systems to us. They have secrets. The Broker likes knowing secrets." I began scratching my chin in thought. On one hand, another party getting information on Cerberus to help put them down could be of help. On the other hand, it is the Broker. I know the Broker is sketchy, but I also know his reputation is reliability. That he has been a player, if behind the scenes, in politics. I don't like that part either.

"How did you learn the locations of these bases?" I asked, allowing my internal debate to continue.

"Information is our business. Through our contacts, we were able to discern that Cerberus was active in the Voyager cluster. Other agents narrowed it down. Unfortunately, that was as far as our own knowledge went. That's why we are so interested in acquiring copies from you," the Broker's agent answered. Hm… if I do give it to them, while I'm sure I'd gain some sort of monetary reward, maybe they could also help us track down Cerberus further.

"Before I commit one way or the other, tell me exactly what you're willing to offer in exchange. Your deal was with Kahoku, not me," I reminded.

"Well, this information is eventually going to be delivered to our hands. Regardless of your choice today. Transmit the files, and you will be well compensated. Credits, of course, but if you have other desires, I believe something could be worked out," he hinted. I sat for a moment, thinking. I may be a Spectre, but this isn't the kind of decision I'm too inclined to make on my own. If it was something that could only potentially risk my ship and crew, that would be different. But since this is a kind of negotiation involving data indirectly relevant to the Alliance… I should check with Hackett, see what he thinks. Maybe Anderson too.

"I'm going to take some time to think on your offer. You'll have a definitive answer within twenty-four hours," I stated.

"So be it, Commander. You have my contact information. I'll be waiting." The call went dead.

"Joker, get me Hackett on the line. Anderson too. Tell them both that they should be somewhere private and secure," I ordered.

"Aye, aye, Commander," Joker responded. I waited at the seat in my Quarters, watching the vid-com screen as the four loading dots ascended before descending one after the other. Hackett was the first to pick up.

"Commander, you have news?" he greeted.

"Of a sort, sir. If we could just wait another moment for-" I was cut off by Anderson joining the call, beginning with a large yawn.

"David," Hackett greeted the Captain.

"Steven? Hmph," Anderson rubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry, I had to readjust my schedule to sync up with Earth. Good to hear from you, John. So, what's this about?"

"Earlier I was contacted by an Agent of the Shadow Broker. Context for you, Anderson, is that Rear Admiral Kahoku asked me to track down some missing men. Evidence of a trap set for them was found, Kahoku investigated. Finding the group Cerberus. Kahoku made a deal with the Broker to find out the locations of some Cerberus facilities, which my crew and I have now raided. Kahoku was… found dead at one of them, Anderson," I revealed.

"Damn it…" he murmured. "So, what does the Broker want?"

"Turns out Kahoku's deal involved an agreement to send copies of any Cerberus files back to the Broker. Obviously, they'd like me to still send those files for Kahoku."

"I imagine they offered you something in return that has given you pause from immediately turning them down?" Hackett asked.

"In a sense. I don't care about the credits that are on the table, but, sir, I had a thought. If we give them these files, our price could be aid in further tracking down the rest of Cerberus. They may ask for more files, but we wouldn't have to commit to that now," I explained. Hackett was rubbing his chin in thought.

"You are a Spectre, Shepard. You don't need to ask for permission to make decisions anymore," Anderson reminded. Not critically, no, but I believe just making sure I didn't have a dependence on anyone.

"I know, sir. But this could potentially have implications for the Alliance that I'm not aware of. I thought it prudent to run it by Hackett first," I replied.

"I appreciate that, Commander. On one hand, I'm not greatly concerned about information that Cerberus started as an Alliance black op leaking, as they have, after all, gone rogue now. What I am concerned, is the potential for operations of theirs while they were still part of the Alliance before they went fully rogue. Regardless if we knew about these operations or not. 'We didn't know' can only carry us so far."

"Hm, I have to agree with Hackett, here. I know I suggested seeing if the Broker had evidence against Saren, but that was when the price could have potentially just been credits," Anderson remarked. I nodded my head.

"I had similar concerns to both off you. But I also know that both of you could have known things I don't which would make the risk worthwhile. So, as it stands, deny the offer, hunt down Cerberus ourselves. Agreed?"

"Agreed," the other two men spoke in unison.

"Then once this call is done I'll notify the Broker's agent. One final order of business before that, however. Are there any further leads on Saren or at least operations the Alliance requests of me?" I questioned.

"Still haven't heard anything related to Saren," Anderson shook his head.

"And we don't have any operations at the moment that require your attention, Commander."

"Understood. Keep me posted," I requested. "Shepard out." The other men nodded, and the call went dead. I ordered Joker to set course for the Citadel, and quickly typed out and sent a message to the Broker's agent. Essentially, just saying I wouldn't transmit the files, and to not bother replying. He wouldn't convince me otherwise, and I know that the Broker will remember this decision. With that business taken care of, my stomach decided to remind me I had not yet had breakfast. So, I went to correct that. Stepping out of my quarters, I saw the entire ground team, plus a few other crew members, were sat in the mess having their meals. For the humans, looked like cereal, microwave or toaster food, or protein bars. Garrus was munching on a protein bar himself, Wrex, another slab of meat he brought along, Liara was having a meal similar to the humans, and Tali currently had a tube of nutrient paste inserted into the slot at the bottom of her helmet.

"Morning, Commander," Garrus greeted, noticing me first. Kaidan sat beside him, Tali next to Kaidan, Wrex across from Kaidan, his back to me, Liara across from Garrus, and Ashley was on the far side of the table with more of the human crew.

"Morning everyone. You may be happy to know we're en route to the Citadel. It can be considered shore leave until we receive word of a mission," I explained as I got my own meal. Hm, want something more than cereal or a protein bar… eh, fuck it, frozen waffles will do. I heard some cheers from the non-combat crew as I put the waffles into the toaster beside the mess, waiting beside it, getting a plate ready and a syrup packet.

"Nothing on Saren yet?" Ashley asked.

"Not him, or the Geth. Alliance is keeping an eye out, however," I answered.

"You don't think Saren ran off to Terminus, or, hell, behind the Veil even," Kaidan questioned.

"Not permanently, that's for sure. I suspect he has agents searching for some kind of intelligence that will lead him to the Conduit, before sending more forces to secure and potentially gather more. Saren himself may very well be behind the Veil, but his ambitions absolutely stretch into the Traverse and Council space. Besides, we aren't deaf or blind to what happens in Terminus. It's just more frontier," I reassured.

"Ancestors, this could become a full-scale war against the Geth," Tali murmured, despite the tube of paste still attached to her helmet. "If that happens, I'm sure you'll find easy allies among my people."

"Not to mention the Council wouldn't be able to overlook a full Geth invasion. Regardless if they only target Human colonies or not, I doubt they're eager to see Geth expanding," Garrus remarked.

"They overlooked it with us," I think I heard Tali mutter under her breath. Either Garrus didn't hear her or ignored it. The toaster finished, popping out the waffles, and giving Liara a bit of a start. Several of the crew, Wrex included, began chuckling lightly and she appeared embarrassed.

"She's done that each and every time," the Krogan chuckled.

"It's not funny," Liara huffed.

"Come on, doc. It's a little funny. Besides, we're not laughing at y-" Kaidan began. Just before he finished, Ashley slammed her fist on the table which this time, gave Kaidan a startle, turning the crew's laughter against him. Chuckling, I took the only open seat, which was across from Tali and next to Wrex. I spread the syrup over my still warm 'waffles,' and ate. Hm, I should consider installing a large monitor on the wall there. I think it's against regulations, but… I am a Spectre now. I can probably bypass those regulations… And hey, not like doing that would make me a hypocrite. It's a fucking TV after all.

"So, has there been any weapons training yet?" I asked the ground team. I knew there hadn't been, this was me subtly calling them out.

"Uh… We-" Ashley began awkwardly.

"Nope," Wrex bluntly stated, not caring to beat around the bush, or hide it.

"Then that's what you all are going to be doing after you're done eating and before you go off for whatever on the Citadel. You all need to get some time in with each other and the weapons," I ordered. I made sure my voice remained calm, yet firm. Not aggressive or angry. "I'm willing to let the sniper go for most of you. Ashley, I still want you and Garrus to take some time with it. You're good with one but can be better." Ashley nodded with a set face, not showing any displeasure that I knew she was likely feeling. "I'll make sure you're cleared to visit the same firing range as last time if you see fit." The ground team nodded and continued eating their respective meals. They all finished eating before me and I nodded approvingly, without them seeing, as all of them moved to get on the elevator and go practice. As I finished my meal, I returned to my quarters. I wanted to ask a certain someone about a guy I met on the Citadel last time. And I think I should probably enjoy the privacy of my quarters for this call. I sat down at my terminal, relayed the call through Normandy's comms, and waited.

"XO Shepard of the Kilimanjaro speaking," my mother greeted.

"Wow mom, not even bothering to look at the caller ID huh?" I teased. I could just picture the massive smile appearing on her face on the other end. I was about to wonder why the visual part of the comm hadn't gone through, when the black screen was replaced with my mother, smiling just as wide as I imagined, in her quarters on the Kilimanjaro. Suppose she didn't accept that part till now.

"You do know that it came in as 'REDACTED,' right? You must have routed it through your ship," she chuckled. Yeah, I might have done that on purpose. I shrugged innocently. "So, what can I do for the first Human Spectre?" she laced her voice with dramatic flair.

"We're just on our way back to the Citadel, thought I'd check in if you were off duty."

"What would the news think? Knowing that the Great Commander Shepard still has time to check in and call his mother?" she chuckled again, teasing.

"Some stations would spin me as the perfect human family man, doing his part!" I announced dramatically. "Others, probably a whiny little momma's boy. But, fuck em," I shrugged.

"That's the right answer," mom laughed, then sighed. "It's good to hear from you, John. And to hear you in a good mood. It really is. But I'm about to be on duty."

"I understand, mom," I smiled warmly. "Just one quick thing. Last I was on the Citadel, I met a beggar who claimed to know you from the Einstein. Lieutenant Zabaleta?" Her features fell to sadness.

"Ernesto? A beggar? Damn…" she shook her head. "He was one of the marines who guarded CIC. We shared a watch. I lost track of him after… after Mindoir." Ah… well shit… "Even after almost a decade I can't believe how close your father and I came to becoming colonists ourselves, bound for Mindoir." Yeah, I heard that story. "Zabaleta was part of the task group that responded. Batarians were still pulling out when the marines got groundside. He was never the same after." I didn't need to respond. Mom saw my features, she saw the connections I was making. Seems I have a kindred spirit in Zabaleta, so to speak. She continued her story. "He tried to keep working, but it rode him. Showed up drunk on duty more and more. Couldn't always cover for him." I guess that's why she and dad worked so hard to keep me away from liquor after Akuze. Well, keep me from binging. "He was discharged. And we all knew it was because he never talked about it…" And why they worked so hard to talk to me about Akuze. Well, suppose it's a good thing they spent my childhood making sure they were parents I could talk to. "If you see him, John, please. Tell him we still worry about him. Tell him to go to the Veteran's affairs office."

"I'll make sure to do that, mom," I nodded.

"Thank you. Now, I need to get ready for my shift. Take care of yourself, John. I'm so proud of you," she smiled. Love you."

"Love you too, mom."

* * *

 **Urdnot Wrex**

So, Shepard wants us to teach each other how to use our guns, eh? Well, good thing I'm just one of the teachers. I don't think there's anything these kids could show me. The lot of us stepped into the same firing range Shepard brought us to last time. He had gone off to do some things himself, see some people. He trusted us to do what he wanted. Hm, fair orders, trust in his men, an honorable warrior... Reminds me of myself, back when I led Clan Urdnot. I don't even want to try imagining what Wreav has turned all that work into.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head, same as I've done for centuries, and took a look around. See who I'd be teaching. Ashley and Garrus are, grudgingly, starting to work on snipers. Kaidan is with Liara, seeing where she's at with a pistol. He's going to have to get her better with one of those before he can even think of moving on to anything bigger. If it wasn't for her biotics, which, I noticed were strong for an Asari her age, she'd be much better off back on the ship. So, that leaves Tali. I saw her, wringing her hands, close to a corner. She didn't need to join Liara in learning the pistol, hell, she'd be able to help teach Liara, but two teachers might just get in the way. As for Garrus and Ashley, well, ignoring how the two of them are already getting annoyed with each other, both have insulted her people.

"Over here, kid," I called out, nodding my head back to signal her to come this way. She hesitated a moment, then followed, hands no longer wringing.

"Yes, Wrex?" I looked her over. Her arms are thin, but combat has shown that they're strong too. It's something weird about mammals. Their females can look thin and frail, but if strong, their muscles are both barely more visible than a weak one, and less visible than a strong male. It's a mistake my people have made before. Most Quarians are physically strong, they're just also vulnerable, means they need to be extra careful. The rest of her thin body also makes her a smaller target. Wouldn't matter too much in a real firefight, but occasionally, that comes in handy in a pinch. Her legs were thin as well, but like the arms, looks can be deceiving. I don't doubt that in a full sprint, she could outrun most pursuers. That's just another benefit of the way her legs bend, like my own, and most galactic species. Hm, that knife on her boot. Haven't seen her use it yet.

"Show me that knife of yours." She cocked her head to the side.

"Uh, alright…" She started to bend down to grab it.

"No, show me how you'd grab it if you needed to use it. Someone's close, and you can't use a gun," I stopped her. Now she seemed to get some understanding. She did half of a squat before quickly grabbing the hilt and pulling the knife out, holding it sideways in front of her. Quick too. I held my hand out, open palm. "Give it here for a moment. She turned the knife around, using her fingers to hold the knife by the flat sides, not allowing it to touch her suit, and handed the hilt to me. There were engravings on the blade. Most, ran the length of it, the same pattern as her… whatever the Quarians call that wrap around their suit. The patterns of her clan, Zorah. Must be an heirloom of some sort. The metal seemed strong, well taken care of. And the blade looks sharp. Not serrated like most Krogan blades. One side of the blade was blunt, while the other was sharp, like the tip. I removed my left glove and lightly, gently, ran the sharp end along my palm. I didn't wince at the pain as it surprisingly, cut my flesh there. Tali was surprised at this action herself.

"Impressive," I remarked, clenching my left fist, and then wiping the small amount of orange blood off onto my armor. I put the glove back on and handed it back. The cut was already starting to heal.

"Are you alright, Wrex?" she asked, concerned.

"Ha!" I barked a short laugh. "I'm a Krogan. Going to take a lot more than a light cut on the hand to hurt me. It'll be gone by the end of the hour. So, you prefer the shotgun, right?" She nodded her head. "Show me. Take a few shots at the target." Tali followed through. No argument as to how Shepard said she was already proficient with a shotgun, good. Maybe that's a lack of self-confidence, maybe that's because she knows she can always get better. Maybe it's both. She started taking her shots. But I didn't watch the target. I watched how she held the gun. How she fired. How she aimed. Everything.

"Alright, that's enough," I stated. Tali folded and holstered her shotgun and turned. "You did good. Let me-"

"Fuck off, Vakarian!" Williams shouted. I turned to see her furiously storming out of the range. I glanced at Garrus, as did all the others. He just shrugged.

"Let me show you a thing or two."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

Well, Nassana made the meeting with her less infuriating than I had assumed. She got me to take a closer look at the messages between her and her sister. Nassana was being blackmailed and had been trying to get her sister to stop for some time. Had word gotten out, she'd be a security risk and would basically be out of her diplomacy job until she her sister was apprehended. She offered credits, and I managed to secure a bit of a better deal. Credits are not a giant concern of mine, after all. Besides, a diplomat going up the ranks having a favor from a Spectre? She got me a line to purchase some prototype Asari tech. Like Biotic amps and Omni-tools. I don't think I'll need more Omni-tools, but since Biotic Amps don't need surgery to be installed, they just amplify the power of the implant.

Perhaps fittingly, I decided to check in with Barla Von. See just where my credit account has gone to. It's only been a few days, sure, but that's enough for some growth, I would think. Finances are not my specialty. I made my way to his offices, and his secretary, an Asari woman, notified Barla, and, and turns out, he had an opening in his schedule. That, or he make them for Spectres.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. Vales tells me you want to see my progress so far?" the Volus greeted. Low desk, high chair. I took a seat on the other side.

"That I am."

"Of course. Now, I'm sure you understand that finances are an art. Art, does take time. But, as I told you when we first came to this arrangement, no one understands finances better than the Vol-clan. And among the Vol-clan, I am among the best. Here, these are the credits I have made for you. The credits that remain shall be used for further investments, but any amount is ready to be transferred to your personal account at any time." Barla typed on his terminal for a few seconds and then he turned the screen around. My eyes widened. "You are a wealthy man, Commander Shepard." I let out a whistle.

"Well, there's my retirement taken care of," I remarked.

"Indeed, if one wishes to live mildly. Ah, but you, are a Spectre. You need the gear that comes with it. You could buy something with these credits now, but I would advise waiting a bit longer. I assure you, with a little more time, you'll be able to buy a full set several times over and be able to live a highly comfortable life to the end of your days," Barla Von continued.

"I'm certainly impressed. Alright, I'll take your advice. Thanks for your time," I nodded.

"Anything for a Spectre," Barla gave his farewell. I left his office, making my way towards the exit of the complex in which the Volus' office would be found. I had barely even left the building when someone called me by that title yet again.

"Got a moment? Spectre?" an older woman asked, brow raised.

"That depends," I answered vaguely. She tilted her head back signaling me to follow her. I got a bad feeling, and my hand hovered over my thigh, my pistol waiting to be unholstered at a moment's notice.

"I have a business proposition for you," she began, once she seemed to believe we had ample privacy amongst the Persidium's streets. I raised a brow and gestured for her to continue. "I'm acquainted with a pair of powerful crime bosses." Well, that's blunt. My hand now grasped my pistol and it unfolded. All that waited now was for it to be pulled out. "They're hiding on remote worlds, and I have the coordinates. You could do the galaxy a favor."

"How do you know them? What do you get out of this?" I questioned, brow furrowed.

"We share interests in certain cooperative ventures. But their business practices have forced me to terminate our relationship. Once they are dead, I will manage our organization in a more tasteful manner." I could threaten to turn her in now, but I also know that a woman like this, a crime boss, is very clearly choosing her words carefully. Beyond that, I don't have real proof of her actions. And she no doubt has a very handsomely paid lawyer who will fight tooth and claw for her freedom, and the very hefty check that would come with it.

"Just what are the business practices of your… associates?"

"Red sand dealers who make victims of their customers. More so than usual, at any rate. Those who can no longer pay, are sold to Batarian slavers. They're loathsome," she said with obvious disdain. "Hurting innocent people. They must be ended." Red sand. Highly addictive and gives the user a brief period of minor biotics, regardless if they were born one or not. I wonder if it's the chemicals that are more addictive, or the experience of being a biotic, if for a few moments. And they're slavers. I certainly wouldn't mind taking them out of the picture. But it's not enough. I'd need to find a way to take this woman down as well. So, play along.

"What kind of defenses?" I asked. The woman grinned slightly, she knows this question means that the task will likely be undertaken.

"I haven't the faintest idea, but they are most certainly armed. They both believe the other is trying to kill them." I paused a moment, as if to show my consideration.

"If what you say is true, then these men must be brought to justice."

"Excellent," she smiled. "Here are the coordinate," she typed at her omni-tool, transferring them. "When they are dead, I will wait for you at the third set of coordinates. Not before, only after. I'll know. Goodbye, Commander. It has been a pleasure to meet you," she walked away before I could say more. Ugh, I think I need a shower. At least there will be, what appears to be, a face-to-face meeting afterwards. That gives me the chance to take down all players involved.

I suppose I should check in with the crew. May still be at the gun range. Now just to catch a taxi heading- My omni-tool chimed with a message. I quickly pulled it up. A message from Anderson, asking I head over to his apartment. Nothing important, nothing official. This won't be a meeting between Commander Shepard and Captain Anderson, but between John and Uncle David.

* * *

 **Captain David Anderson**

I checked the bar again. Fully stocked, but I suspect we'll only have a few beers from it. Nothing fancy. The apartment itself is looking good and clean, and the fireplace is, as always, on. The blinds of the large windows only half closed, letting in the lights from other buildings of the Silversun strip and the sky cars constantly passing by. This apartment really is something else. I wonder what Kahlee would think of it...

I shook those thoughts out of my head. It doesn't do any good to think about my regrets. Either I'll find her someday and we'll… give it a shot, or we won't. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, and my entire demeanor changed. I quickly got to the door and opened it. John was there, a grin on his face. I hugged him.

"Good to see you, son," I greeted, patting him on the back. I led him inside the apartment.

"You too, David. What have you been up to?" I asked.

"Paperwork," I groaned. John winced. John took his seat on the couch by the bar as I got out drinks for the both of us. I tossed him his can, and he caught it with ease. He was smart enough to not open it straight away.

"So, I understand Hackett has been trying to keep you busy?"

"When he can," John shrugged. "We rescued a politician from disgruntled biotic terrorists, while also making the politician see reason that their claims were genuinely just. More reparations."

"Right, I heard about that. Penny pinchers, aren't they?" I chuckled.

"Something like that," John barked a short laugh. We also took down a slaver group, though that wasn't Hackett's request. And… we also responded to the distress call at Trebin." I cocked my head to the side.

"I heard that the research team there was all killed, but, what I don't know is what happened."

"They dug up some kind of really old tech. And more of those Dragons Teeth from Eden Prime. Turned the entire team into those… Husk things. But no sign of Geth," John murmured. I got a chill up my spine. We sat in silence another moment, broken by John opening his beer and taking a swig. Then, my stomach rumbled.

"You hungry?"

"Sure, I could go for a bite."

"Want me to order a pizza?" I may have things in my fridge, but then we wouldn't be able to sit here, relaxing, and talking.

"Hell yeah! I'm game for a good pizza."

"I'll call for delivery. Usual?" John nodded in response. I opened my Omni-tool and called this one pizza place not too far away. Started by a family of New Yorkers. Given by their last names, an Italian heritage beyond that. They make some damn good pizza. Probably a good thing there isn't a Chicago Deep Dish place around here, else I'd never be able to decide. Anyways, two pepperonis were on their way. There would definitely be leftovers, but that's also exactly what I want.

"So, tell me about the crew," I asked.

"The whole crew, or the ground team?"

"Let's go with all. I'd like to hear your perceptions."

"Fair enough," John shrugged as he took another sip of his beer. "I haven't gotten to know much of the general crew, but a few faces stick out. Joker seems alright. Surprised me with the details about his disease, makes me respect him. Heh, I wonder if his snarky attitude even while on duty, is because he knows damn well I can't just order him to 'drop and give me twenty,'" he joked. I gave a short laugh in reply. "Pressly, unfortunately, had some problems with the non-human crew, but at least he seemed to admit, after some points from me, that his way was the old way of thinking. And he was willing to consider talking with them. Don't know if he's followed through. Chakwas, though, is great to have around. Bit of… familiarity."

"I did pick her for the Normandy's doc for a reason, after all," I remarked.

"That you did. Anyways, last of the regular crew that sticks out is Adams. I like him. Had a long talk about the drive core. He knows his stuff. And he's been very accepting of having Tali and the others around."

"Speaking of, how's she been adjusting? Having many problems with the others?"

"Well, I had to call Ashley out on something she whispered once, right in front of her," John seemed to bristle. "But beyond that, I don't know if the crew has given her any problems. I know she was having trouble sleeping one night, because of the quiet of all things. No rumbling of engines or rattle of an air filter to help her doze off, but I got her hooked up with some white noise from the extranet. Been sleeping a lot better, she told me."

"Funny what differences we just don't expect, right?" I chuckled.

"True. So, continuing, Adams told me that basically straight away, she was his best engineers by a fucking _mile_ , and that with some more time, she'd even surpass him! She's got a helluva brain in her head, that's for damn sure. She even knows how to hack fucking Geth! I didn't even know that was possible until one day, in the field, one of the Geth just starts fucking shooting its buddies!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. Color me impressed by this girl. "So, I asked her to teach me and the rest of the techs on board how to hack Geth, right? Well, she gave us practice programs after running through it with us, and, if I'm being honest, those practice programs have managed to stump me a few times! Even with my N7 training! What the hell is this woman?" he just burst into laughter. The smile was contagious. Seeing him like this, is very, very good. I don't think he's acted like this since before Akuze. I still blame myself for that. Let alone Adam's death. I did, after all, order John's psych leave, and suggested Elysium to John and Adam. Hm… he's reminding me of how I've been talking about Kahlee before…

"She sounds like something else," I remarked, watching him closely. He smiled a bit wider, and there was… a light in his eyes.

"She really is. I'm damn glad we brought her along. She's got a tendency to be a bit awkward, and I think she's lacking some self-confidence. Not sure if that's from her time out here, which would be a goddamn pity, or something more deeply rooted. Either way, I've been trying to help her out with that."

"That's good of you. So, who else?"

"Let's continue with… Garrus. The Turian. Disgruntled C-Sec officer. He's a bit of a hothead right now, sees everything in black and white. You know, that the rules are just getting in the way," he explained.

"I know the type. But…?" I could tell there was more that John had to say.

"I've been… mentoring him. Had a few talks with him, think it's helped him see the bigger picture. He's coming around. He's a good guy, David. He's got a lot of potential. Great shot, good soldier. When we're in the field, he does his job to the letter, and does it well." I nodded along. This is also something good for him to have. It's helping him along, I believe. "So, continuing, let's go with Wrex. The Krogan. There's… something about him. He's not like other Krogan I've encountered. He's not aggressive, angry."

"That is uncommon," I chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, he's not the guy you'd want to fuck with, he's a fucking menace on the battlefield. A biotic too. I haven't had many long conversations with him, but there's a cunning mind in there. Wisdom, of a kind. He told me once that he had given up on the Krogan."

"Hm. That's telling."

"It is. That means, he had hope for them once. That they could be better than what they are. Something, I don't know what, took that hope away. Pity, I think the Krogan could use someone like him. No, need someone like him."

"Pity. So, how about Dr. T'Soni? How's that working out?"

"Decently enough. While she has next to no combat training, she seems to be a capable biotic. She's performed well enough in the field. Otherwise, she's a bit off sometimes, but, since she says she spends most of her time alone, it adds up," John shrugs.

"Off?"

"Oh, just a bit… weird. Lacking social skills. Takes a bit to recognize a joke. That kind of thing."

"Ah, I see. So, that leaves the two humans."

"Yeah. Kaidan's alright. Capable soldier. Not really much else to say. Good guy, though. Helping Liara get used to her situation a bit, helping Tali a bit too. Ashley on the other hand, even less receptive of the non-humans than Pressly. She expressed her concerns to me the other day, but I am not going to recount her arguments. I don't want to get pissy again," John grumbled. "Suffice to say her arguments were really fucking stupid and short-sighted. I don't know what the cause of them are, but hopefully, if I can get to the source, I can change it. Because if she keeps this up, I may need to consider letting her go. Can't risk unit cohesion, after all."

"Shame. I expected better when I brought her on board," I murmured. Before John could say anything, the doorbell ringed, and the whole conversation was forgotten. There was food to eat.


	12. I, Robot

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Letting you all know that this weekend, I'm leaving for a family trip to London! This will be my first vacation across the Atlantic, but not my first vacation out of the U.S. (And I do mean that beyond just Canada or Mexico) Anyways, I won't be back until April 1** **st** **, so that means no uploads Monday or next Friday. In fact, even though April 1** **st** **is a Sunday, I doubt I'll be getting another chapter out the following day. I'll try but can make no promises. No matter what, however, the regular schedule shall resume on the 6** **th** **. This does, obviously mean that you shouldn't expect a dump of several chapters for the days I missed. Sorry. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, please read the Author's note at the end, and see y'all in the next one!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

I spent the night at David's place, just slept in one of the guest bedrooms. Not long after waking up, David took me to this diner for breakfast. A very nice break from the basics back on the ship. David also refused to allow me to pay for my own meal. Now, however, it was about midday. I had gone to see Zabaleta and managed to convince him to go get help at Veteran's Affairs, and then I got a message from Hackett. He had something for us but wanted to discuss it when I was back on my ship, and the secure comms that came with it. So, I sent the recall to the crew, and immediately started the return to the Normandy, taking the call in my quarters.

"Commander, I trust you rested well?" Hackett greeted.

"I have, sir. Thank you. You said you had something for us?"

"I do. It's urgent. Our training ground on Luna. The VI that simulates hostile tactics, Hannibal? Controls the drones? It's gone rogue. Our overrides don't work," Hackett started. My eyes widened in surprise. That training facility uses live-fire. A VI gone rogue…

"Are there any further security risks? If I remember right, that Hannibal couldn't access anything external."

"You remember correctly. We suspect it's some kind of programming error or loop. Not like it's self-aware, after all. We need you to go in, and manually disable the core. Sending a full briefing of the process now." Hackett started the file's upload. I'd go over it with the team's other techs later.

"Any further mission parameters?" I asked.

"No. Use whatever means you deem necessary to fight your way to the cores and their shutdown. As far as we're concerned, the drones and defense turrets are entirely disposable."

"Understood. We'll get it done, sir." I nodded.

"Thank you, Commander. Hackett out." The call ended.

"Joker," I called out through the intercom. "Once everyone's on board, get us to the Alliance training facility on Luna. Mako drop. Got an ETA?"

"Problems in Sol? Is the reason above my paygrade?" Joker asked first.

"Rogue VI." I answered.

"Well, shit. ETA? Well, we discharged the core before docking, so, I'd say four-to-five hours."

The crew was locked, loaded, and about to get a pretty nice view one we hit the surface. Everything in the Mako checked out, and Joker gave us the countdown. The cargo bay was safely vented, and the bay doors opened. We began plummeting to the surface. The crew was getting used to this. Garrus, while no longer cursing, still wouldn't cheer. Tali had begun to laugh or chuckle. Liara was still struggling not to vomit but survived. I paid attention to our descent rate. No atmosphere means we're only dropping faster and faster. No terminal velocity. But it also means that the Mako's thrusters will be more effective than usual, especially with the low gravity. Luckily, the Mako's computer calculates when the thrusters need to be activated for a safe landing, showing the driver the threshold. I activated the thrusters, and in truth, we actually landed relatively gently.

"Hey, everyone out for a moment. Think we should see the view," I suggested.

"I was just about to ask if we could do that, Skipper," Ashley remarked. Seems I got a nickname.

"Skipper, eh?" I chuckled, as we started to disembark, the rear airlock being vented.

"Does it mean something?" Tali cocked her head to the side.

"Captain of a ship. Seafaring ship normally," I answered. Tali nodded understanding. All of us were outside now, the silence being almost, eerie. I climbed to the top of the Mako and sat on the edge, feet dangling off, looking up. Wrex and Garrus remained on the ground, but the others climbed up, joining me. I barely even noticed the slight smile when I noticed Tali had taken her seat beside me. I looked up at Humanity's cradle.

"Your home?" Tali asked.

"Mine? No. Parents were born and raised there. Grew up in different cities, met in the Alliance. Technically I was born there too, but that was just my mother's maternity leave for the end of her pregnancy. I don't think I had been alive for a week before she went ship-side with me again. Not a combat ship," I reassured. "But it was Alliance. Lots of enlisted families wanted their kids to grow up with the stars, and we didn't have many established colonies. And given we hadn't met anyone just yet, there were programs to make it work. I am proud of my heritage, though. American. It's had some rough spots, like every country, but it's one that tries, at least the public tries, to live up to its values. Liberty, and justice for all. The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

"Huh, didn't know that about you, Commander," Kaidan remarked.

"What? That my parents were both Alliance, that I'm a spacer, or my heritage?"

"Well, both, really," he shrugged.

"Hm. Heh, there's something we have in common, Tali," I chuckled. "Even if it's a bit loosely." She released a small chuckle herself, turning to look at me as she did so, rather than Earth. I imagined the smile that was under that mask. I bet it's a nice smile… Damn it, John. Cut it out. She's your subordinate, she has the suit, she has her fleet, everything. A fling would not be proper. _Well… what if it wasn't just a fling…_ I immediately shook those thoughts out of my head. Remember Akuze, you must be careful letting a squad get that close to you. Let alone _that_ close.

"Skipper, I can't tell what continent that is. Can you?" Ashley asked, pointing up. I squinted my eyes and leaned forward. There was a partial cloud cover on the North and South. Huh, the landmass isn't fitting the patterns I'm looking for. I pulled out my sniper and looked through the scope, earning some laughs.

"Hey! It magnifies shit doesn't it? Besides, safety's on," I remarked. Wait, is that? Oh! Alright. "It's mirrored from how we'd look at a map. See that peninsula? Left side?"

"Yeah?" Ashley replied.

"Florida. You're looking at the Americas. Mostly North, bit of South."

"Ah, I see it now. Yeah, I see the Great Lakes around Michigan," Ashley nodded.

"And that means all of what's north of that is my wonderful homeland of Canada," Kaidan remarked.

"Ah, you're Canadian eh?" I teased, laying the accent on thick. "Sorry I didn't know that sooner. Sorry, but think you could get us some real Canadian Maple Syrup? You know, if the Moose don't cause too much trouble. Sorry again." Kaidan just laughed and shook his head.

"Don't Humans consider it rude to insult one's home?" Liara questioned, confused. And just as our laughter was dying. That revived it.

"Teasing, Liara. Just teasing," I reassured. She got quiet and shrunk a bit, embarrassed again.

"So, is all that controlled by the Alliance, or…?" Tali asked, changing the subject.

"Earth itself is still governed by the same nations we had before we became a genuine space-faring species. The Alliance represents all of them beyond Earth, and controls all the Human Colonies. Look back to the Americas. Most of what you see is the United States. Canada north of that, Mexico makes up most of what you can see south of it. That being said, the border between Canada and the US is practically non-existent now. They're basically the same country in all but name. While their governments are still separate, its heavily similar. Than for Mexico, the other countries that make up the land bridge to South America became the Central American Union. While all these countries work together under the United Nations, Earth-side, and under the Alliance space-side, they're still independent." I explained.

"And they all basically ignored the Alliance until First Contact. While the Countries were all bickering over who should lead the retaliation, the Alliance actually retaliated," Ashley added.

"That they did. And don't let me paint an inaccurate picture of Earth. There's still a pretty clear divide between the First World Countries and the Third World Countries. First worlds, like America, Canada, most of the European Countries, and several others live pretty good lives, eliminating most genetic disease and pollution, the third worlds are still in our nineteen-hundreds technology. Smog and slums. Most of those are in the continent of Africa or South America. Or the Middle East Countries. Hell, China and Russia are both first world militaries with first world tech, but their authoritarian and communistic societies keep a lot of people living closer to third world rather than first. And North Korea is still recovering and restructuring from their absolutely barbaric dictatorship from the end of the two-thousands. It was a lot like the Batarian Hegemony. Same with the Chinese half the time." I explained. "And the weather is still a bit screwy thanks to pollution in the two thousands, but, seemingly barely, we made it through."

"We didn't," Wrex grumbled.

"You know, I always wondered. They called that the 'twenty-first-century bottleneck.' Did all the other species have something like that? Rampant pollution, global nuclear tensions? That kind of thing?" Kaidan mused.

"Turians certainly have," Garrus nodded. "Back when the Hierarchy formed across Palaven, as well as the unification war. That was when we had colonies out in space but hadn't met the other races yet. The furthest colonies became disillusioned with the Hierarchy, and eventually fought amongst themselves. By the time Palaven finally intervened, they all had no choice but to submit. As for pollution? Well, I think a bit less than you Humans. If the government, the group, the whole Turian race, decided the personal gain of some needed to be put aside for the good of all, that's all it would have taken to make it happen. Next to no argument."

"If I remember right from my N7 lessons, the Salarians didn't have much of a war problem. They had an espionage problem. It wasn't nukes they aimed at each other, it was spies and assassins. Like the League of One," I remembered.

"Heh, figures," Wrex chuckled.

"The Asari had neither problem. Democracy, consensus, and accommodation are deeply rooted in our culture. In truth, our planet was covered in large, individual city-states that were very open with one another. It was when we entered the information age that the Asari Republics were formed, and we became the 'Electronic Democracy,' we are today." Liara explained.

"How does that work, anyway?" Ashley questioned.

"Simple. There are official chat rooms open on the extranet available for all citizens participation. Any aspect of policy is up for debate at any time. Though we often defer to the wisdom of our Matriarchs."

"God, it can't be that simple," Ashley remarked. "Sure as hell wouldn't work with humans."

"What about Quarians? Did they have the same problems?" Kaidan continued. Tali perked up quickly, noticing she was still included.

"Oh! Well, our people unified much earlier in our history relative to yours. Back before our people had firearms. Mostly, it was a diplomatic unification, though some required militaristic enforcement. But our people also never had too much of a problem with strict authoritarianism. We're too argumentative and prone to debate for that. As for pollution, Rannoch is an arid world. Its plants were hardy, but we had to be careful with them. And we depended greatly upon the seas for food, as well as our other farming and cattle," she explained happily. "So, it was a short-lived and hastily corrected problem. Perhaps it was the need to limit ourselves until we had cleaner alternatives that kept us from becoming space-faring for so long."

"Heh, weird how that is, huh? We kinda need to screw around a bit till we figure out what works best, and just hope we don't fuck things up too much for us to quickly find our feet," I chuckled. "Speaking of fuck ups, we have to find a VI's off-switch. We can enjoy the view more later." I hopped off the top of the Mako, almost momentarily disoriented by the fact I didn't fall as quickly as my body expected. Lead everyone back inside of the Mako and began driving towards the ridgeline that the training facility rested atop of. Good thing the Mako climbs like it does.

We reached the top of the ridge and the entrance to the training facility awaited in front of us. The Alliance logo emblazoned above the door. The shuttle bay was on the left and closed down, as we already knew. I parked the Mako just outside the entrance and turned the Mako's engine and drive core off.

"Everyone out, into the airlock," I ordered. Everyone did just that. As the airlock finished pressurizing and providing an atmosphere, Ashley moved to remove her helmet. "Leave it on, Williams. Part of the training here involves toxic gases. Leave your helmets on, suits sealed, you'll be fine." Ashley removed her hands and readied her weapon, as did everyone. The door opened, revealing the main lobby. From here one could access the armory, where trainees would prepare, as well as the quarters of the more permanent crew and instructors, and the shuttle bay. Many of the normally white walls were pockmarked with bullet holes. There were also two bodies, civilians. One slumped over the greeting desk, another in a corner. Dead awhile, but nothing to decompose them. I made my way over to the desk and attempted to enter the facility's systems. Maybe get a damage report. Or something.

"Damn, locked out. Attempting a bypass…" I grumbled. Ugh. "No use. Damn VI is countering me. Alright, we're going to head down through maintenance to get to the VI core and shut it down. Careful, the drones could be anywhere. Alenko, you mark any bodies we come across. Make it easier for them to be found." Kaidan nodded, and I lead the others towards maintenance, which, fortunately, was both still marked on the walls, as well as in the map we had been given by Hackett. We turned the last corner that would take us down, and… the hell?

"Uh… we are all seeing the same thing, right?" Tali questioned. One of the Combat drones was still flying in the air just in front of us. But it was repeatedly ramming itself into the wall. The wall was clearly dented, and the barrel was starting to dent.

"Seems the VI is having problems," Wrex murmured. I aimed my rifle and fired a small burst, taking the drone down.

"All the better for us," I remarked. I lead the squad through the next door to the lower levels. Seems maintenance doubles as storage. While there were power couplings coming out of some walls, and some of them having been cut, there were also stacks of crates in corners or the middle. And another corpse slumped against one. This one was a marine. Woman, fully armored, but riddled with bullet holes.

"Must be more drones around here somewhere. Techs, get ready to short em out. Biotics, either give us barriers, or hold em still. They're jittery little bastards," I ordered. The techs kept their Omni-tools ready while the Biotics began glowing blue. Kaidan, of course, did both. I lead them around another corner into a larger room. More crates stacked around, and a destroyed turret on the ground.

"I hear something… whirring," Wrex muttered.

"Drones, get to cover," I spoke quietly, letting us all get in position, trying not to get any of us stressed by shouting so early. The lot of us began doing just that, taking cover where we could. I listened closely, the whirring was getting closer, louder. And then a swarm of over a dozen drones burst in from the next room, guns already blazing. But our tech attacks had already been primed and unleashed amongst the swarm. Overloads arcing between targets in addition to gunfire being poured towards them. I noticed my shields taking hits and got down before they collapsed, content with just blind-firing around where the drones were last I saw. I heard some explode, heard others crash. And soon, the whirring was all gone.

"Status," I requested. Each member of the team checked in. All accounted for, not wounded. "Good, let's keep moving. We got a bit farther to go till we reach the core.

"Commander, my suit is detecting toxins in the air. They weren't present earlier," Tali informed as we started walking in the direction the drones came from.

"Must be the VI trying to stop us. Well, it'll soon learn that won't matter much. Keep moving," I responded. We continued. Passing a few more corners before the VI decided to throw more drones at us. More than last time, but Wrex still heard them early, and we were ready. Gotta love Krogan hearing. But then, as the last drone collapsed, both the way forward and the way back became blocked by kinetic barriers. I chuckled.

"Doing it this way, huh? Yeah, it'll only take a minute. Garrus, Kaidan, scan around for wires. Find em, pull em. Tali, see if you have better luck than I hacking in. Maybe you can shut em off. Rest of you, with me. I'm going to test the barrier a bit." Everyone followed their orders, and I stood in front of the Kinetic barrier alongside Ashley, Wrex, and Liara. I pulled out my pistol and took a few shots, experimenting. It didn't appear to do anything.

"Wrex, Liara, can you use your biotics to open the barrier? Negate its mass effect field?" I asked.

"Haven't tried that before," Wrex shrugged. He and Liara focused their biotics and got up against the barrier. They glowed blue and attempted to push through. Liara appeared to be struggling with it a bit, but I think Wrex was making a hole. A small one. Too small. He grumbled and pulled his arms out. "Not gonna work."

"Alright, let's just see what happens when we all shoot the damn thing," I remarked, pulling out my rifle. Wrex got his shotgun back out, Williams readied her rifle, and Liara, her pistol. We opened fire. The barrier was starting to flicker. But then, both lights, and the barrier died. The night vision of our suits allowed us to still see.

"Think I pulled the right wires," Garrus chuckled on the comms.

"Yeah, I'd say so. Everyone, regroup. Push comes to shove looks like we can just shoot the barriers," I ordered. Soon enough, Tali, Garrus, and Kaidan had re-joined the group, and we pushed forward. We're getting close. The VI just wasn't giving up, and we ended up shooting our way through another pair of Kinetic barriers, and one more room full of drones. A biotic detonation thanks to Liara and Kaidan took out most of them from the get-go, and the rest were mopped up with ease. Finally, we came to the VI core. Monitors were smashed, but the important hardware was still intact. Including the heavy metal switch that would activate the failsafe. Physically slicing through the power cables providing the VI with energy. This would allow safe and thorough dismantling of the core.

There was also one final drone. It was ramming itself against the switches, occasionally shooting at them, as if trying to make it so that the failsafe could not be activated. Upon our entry into the room, it got faster. It's as if… the VI is fighting, desperately, to remain online. Well, it killed people, and it's still a VI. We're shutting it down. But…

Gunfire rang out, and the drone collapsed. The room still hummed from the sound of the VI core and its systems. The crew holstered their weapons. I approached the switch and gripped it tightly. Then our comm channels burst with almost deafening static. Everyone put their hands to their ears, groaning or shouting in pain. I tried to change comm frequency, several times, but the noise wouldn't leave. Well, I know one way to get rid of it. Fighting through the ear-splitting pain, I gripped the switch again. Pulled it back revealing a cylinder, and then turned the handle ninety degrees, slowly, given its weight, and then pushed it back in. I then pressed the final button beside it. The noise vanished, and the lights of the VI core flickered, and died.

"Fucking hell," Wrex groaned.

"Keelah… Was that the VI?" Tali questioned, her head lowered, holding it in one hand. I was about to respond, but my Omni-tool got pinged. I checked it.

"The hell? I'm getting a series of binary code here. Apparently, it came from that god-awful noise," I muttered. "Hang on, translating to English." I ran it through a binary converter quickly, head still pounding. "Well, that's fucking eerie," I murmured. "It just says, 'Help.' Repeating it, over, and over."

"It was asking for help? Impossible, this was a VI, not an AI," Tali responded.

"Maybe someone sabotaged it. Turned it into one?" Ashley suggested.

"It's… possible. But, why?" Kaidan mused.

"No idea. I'll be sure to include it in my report to Hackett. He can investigate." I holster my weapon. "Come on, back to the Mako. There's a place I want to visit before we get back to the ship."

"Sir?" Ashley asked, wondering.

"You'll see." I lead them all back to the Mako, waiting just outside, and we got situated. I checked the map, and was pleased to see that we were, indeed, not far away. About fifteen minutes later, we crested the edge of one final crater, and our destination was seen, just below. The landing site of Apollo 11.

"There she is," I grinned. Feeling a bit excited. It's not uncommon for people to come see this place in person, I just hadn't gotten the chance yet. The landing module of the Eagle, the reflective cover that was left there, as well as the flagpole and flag. Normally, the flag would be blank thanks to solar radiation, but ever since space travel, and lunar travel, became so common, it gets replaced whenever it starts to fade.

"What is it, Shepard?" Tali asked curiously. I continued driving closer. I answered her, by informing everyone.

"Crew, we are coming upon the Apollo 11 landing site. Where man first set foot on the moon."

"Normally I thought I'd need to save up a bunch of credits for this kind of sightseeing. Instead, all we had to do was take out a VI," Kaidan chuckled.

"I think that's one of the perks of working with a Spectre," I remarked.

"Ha! Yeah, go on a mission, find a new vacation destination," Ashley joked. I pulled up and stopped the Mako a few yards out from the lunar lander. Following everyone else out. Garrus almost immediately began to inspect the lander itself.

"Looks rugged. How-" he began.

"It was centuries ago, Vakarian," Ashley grumbled. Hold on, relax, let him finish. Garrus paused.

"How quickly was this put together? Turians were relaxed with our first space-flights. Our designs were more streamlined, looked strong, Turian. This is well made, just rushed. I was going to ask why it may have been rushed," he explained, defended, a bit annoyed.

"The Space race, Garrus. Here, for a date, look at this plaque," I stated. I lead him, Tali and Liara following, to the plaque on one of the lander's legs. "Here, men from Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace, for all mankind," I read. "1969. Humanity only had our first airplane sixty years prior. Two world wars were fought within that time. And in the sixties, we were in the middle of the cold war. No actual fighting, but it was an arms race. A technological race. Between America, and the Soviet Union. Russia and China, mostly. Capitalism vs. Communism. The space race was part of that. Soviets got the first man into space, we one-upped them. Beat them to Mars as well. Hm, that is if you count a private American Company instead of the American Space Agency. Heh, Elon Musk was something fucking else," I chuckled. "Madman sent a fucking car, with a mannequin, blasting an old song into space alongside his rockets. Rockets that were the first to successfully land in order to be re-used."

"A human private company did that?" Garrus seemed skeptical.

"Not joking. Elon Musk ran Space-X, which got us to Mars. He ran a few other companies that were basically the funding for it. Tesla, made electric cars efficient back during our energy crisis, though it didn't exactly transition quickly. And he also had 'The Boring Company,' which was a bit more… fun. Dug a tunnel under Los Angeles to use as transportation because the traffic was so bad. Even built and sold motherfucking flamethrowers for the hell of it," I chuckled.

"Ha! I think I'd have liked that Human," Wrex laughed.

"I think I would have too. So, back to Apollo. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin. First guys to step foot here. Riiiight…" I murmured as I looked for the spot. There it is, Neil's footprint, still perfectly preserved, is now encased in a clear container so that it won't be disturbed. Next to it, however, people can size themselves up. That's where I stepped. "Here. One small step for man, one giant leap, for mankind." I quoted dramatically.

"That's a very large foot," Tali remarked. Ashley, Kaidan, and myself burst into laughter.

"Only because of the massive fucking space-suits they had to wear. Here, a picture," I quickly opened my Omni-tool and pulled a picture from the extranet.

"I think I like my suit better," Tali muttered. So do I… Wait, down boy. Stop. I let anyone else who wanted compare with Neil, and before long, when I noticed our suits Oxygen supplies were starting to get on the low side, I ordered everyone back to the Mako, and back to the ship.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

I couldn't get it out of my head. That VI was calling for help. From what I know, that's not something a VI should be able to do. Hackett was just as surprised from my report but had nothing to add. Anyways, someone had to have changed the VI. But, again, who, and why? And what if it just happened on its own? Making a VI smart enough, even without giving it personality, that it gains sentience? I mean, that's what happened with the Geth, isn't it? Networked intelligence got to a point that they rebelled. Hm, I can only think of one person to best answer questions about the Geth.

It was getting late into our night cycle, but she should either be finishing up her time in engineering or getting to bed. So, I pinged her with a message. _Tali, if you're still awake, come by my quarters when you get a minute. I have some questions I think you can help me answer._ I modified the message so that if she was asleep, it wouldn't disturb her. We could just end up talking in the morning after all. So, I waited a few minutes, grabbing and opening a beer from my stash, taking a few small swigs. Just as I was about to shrug it off and go to bed myself, there was a knock on my door, and I called for them to enter. Tali strode in, giving a small wave of her three-fingered hand.

"Sorry for the wait, Shepard. I was helping Adams in one of the maintenance ducts," she explained.

"That's fine, Tali. Wouldn't have minded if I had to wait till tomorrow. Go ahead, take a seat," I gestured towards the other chair. "I'd offer you a drink, but the only thing on this ship right now you can drink, is water. Even if you were levo," I chuckled.

"Please, there's no need, Shepard. I'm fine," she reassured, nodding her head forward.

"Suit yourself. Heh… Pun not intentional," I chuckled again. "I'm sure you've only heard that one about a billion times."

"First time, actually. That's not a phrase among my people," she, I believe, smirked.

"Huh. Go figure," I shrugged, and took another sip of my beer. "So, anyways, the questions." I leaned forward and rest my arms on the table, hands clasped. "I want to know more about the Geth. Not so much the history of the war, rather, the Geth themselves. How they work." She cocked her head to the side.

"Is this about the VI earlier?"

"It is. I'm concerned. Maybe someone changed it, maybe it got smart on its own, being pumped full of military tactics like it was. So, I think I need to know more about how the Geth got to their own sentience," I answered.

"I think I might be able to give you answers. Information on the Geth is something my people practically hoard ever since our exile. As I'm sure you know, they were created to serve as an automated manual labor force. Their intelligence was as limited as any VI. Over time, we made small modifications to their programming to allow them to perform more complex tasks, bringing them closer and closer to true AI status. But, being someone skilled in tech yourself, you know the gap between VI and AI is not so simple to cross. VI are driven solely by stimulus-response, all of which are pre-programmed, even though the stimulus' can be made more general. While an AI not only requires the capacity to learn, but to have an awareness of self. Individuality. In that final regard, the Geth are still lacking." I nodded along as I listened. There was just something about her voice… made it very pleasing to listen to.

"And the problem came when you allowed for their networked intelligence?" I asked to clarify. Tali nodded in response as she continued.

"Precisely. Up until then, the changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we thought we could control them. We underestimated the power of their neural network. A million Geth thinking together, simultaneously, created an inherently unstable matrix."

"Did you know so many were thinking together?"

"Certainly not. We had believed that the Geth only networked with those within the same facility. We couldn't detect their interactions beyond. As we built more, and more connected, their effective intelligence became more sophisticated and abstract. One day, a Geth unit began to ask its Quarian overseer existential questions. 'Does this Unit have a soul,' is one they often asked. As you can imagine, this caused a near-panic among my people," Tali explained. How couldn't it? Out of the blue, the simple VI's were asking philosophical questions. "If they were self-aware, independent, and intelligent, then we were essentially using them as slaves. And as with any sentient species, they would see themselves in slavery, resent their masters, and rebel against their situation. It was inevitable. Imminent, perhaps, that they would rise up. We acted first." Maybe it's just the time of day, but, I began musing philosophically myself. "A general order went across all of Quarian space to permanently deactivate all Geth. They responded violently. I took a moment to muse.

"Hm… You ever wonder, what if the Quarians hadn't done that? If instead they had opened dialogue?" I asked. One of her eyes behind the mask squinted, while the other got larger and her head tilted to the side. A look of confusion.

"What? No, I can't say that I have. I doubt it would have made much difference," she answered.

"Just playing devil's advocate. Musing a bit," I reassured. "I can certainly understand the Quarian's fears. Back then, I can't really blame the Geth for self-defense. Now though, obviously, aggression." My reassurances seemed to help Tali relax a bit more with my musing. If anyone is going to be sensitive about Geth, it's Quarians.

"Still, we had no other choice. Like I said, revolt was inevitable. We hoped to end the war before it began." In general, that's not a philosophy I normally agree with. That being said…

"Don't get me wrong. One way or another, the Geth went too far. Simply declaring independence would not have required the razed worlds and destroyed cities, schools, hospitals, everything. Your people are, indeed, the victims here. It's one thing for me to philosophically sit here, musing if your Ancestors could have made a different choice with a different, more positive outcome, but it's another to think that it's truly their fault. Let alone the fault of any living Quarian today. One should absolutely never need to pay for the actions of their ancestors. And, like I said, the actions of your ancestors anyway, are justifiable," I explained my thoughts. Tali took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Thank you, Shepard. I'm sorry for getting a bit worked up. The Geth are a sensitive issue for us."

"No thanks, or apologies, necessary." I smiled.

"No, Shepard. I do need to thank you and apologize. You've been incredibly kind and generous to me, and far more accommodating than necessary. To make you the victim of an outburst would be shameful. A Hraxa to Clan Zorah," she stated firmly.

"A Hraxa?"

"Oh, I guess that didn't translate, she suddenly became meeker, and chuckled awkwardly. She thought for a moment. "An insult to my clan's honor. Normally it's only something one clan can do to another, but occasionally, the actions of one clan member have shamed and insulted the rest."

"Harsh," I whistled. "Well, I can assure you. You caused no insult, and I knew exactly what kind of minefield I was getting into bringing up the Geth," I joked to reassure her. She seemed grateful for it again, and chuckled. "So, find any ideas for a good Pilgrimage gift out here so far?" The topic change took her by surprise, just for a moment, and her head tilted to the side as it set in.

"Oh? Oh! Well, I need something bigger and better than what is normally brought back on Pilgrimage. There's a lot expected of me," she revealed. I raised a brow.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"It's my father, Admiral Rael Zorah, senior member of the Admiralty board. I'm his only child."

"Oh! I remember noticing you had the same Clan name but didn't know how close the relation was. Starting to think I should salute you, heir to his seat on the Admiralty board, your highness," I teased. Tali caught on that I was joking and laughed.

"Ancestors, me? Serving on the Admiralty board? No, never," she laughed a bit more. "But…" she began as she calmed back down. "Back to the pilgrimage. While officially, I'm exactly the same as any other citizen, but the way society views someone or something, seems to rarely be what the official view is. I'm treated differently because of who my father is. While I know I had some advantages growing up, it's not all good. Powerful people like my father have enemies. Some of those enemies are not above using me to get to him. Never anything open or violent, thankfully, but subtler… manipulations," she sighed sadly. "Like blowing some stupid childhood mistake lightyears out of proportion." Internally, I bristled at the thought of some jackasses trying to pull that. Maybe I should take their masks off and 'accidentally' sneeze or cough.

"Sorry you've had to deal with that kind of bullshit." Tali just shrugged.

"My people place a high value on family and ancestry. There's an unspoken expectation I'll live up to my father's example. They're waiting for me to do something that could change our lives for the better. And, unfortunately, I don't think they'll care much about the mission. Insular society."

"That's unfair. They should pay it some mind," I grumbled.

"Our biggest dream is to reclaim Rannoch. Even if we stop Saren, that won't happen. Though I do think I could find some sort of information on how the Geth have evolved that we could use to one day help reclaim our world. Someday," she allowed a hint of pride and hope to shine through.

"We'll find something," I nodded. Tali tilted her head to the side again, a light in her eyes, in more than the literal sense, that made me think she was smiling. "So, what's your father like?" She glanced down for just a moment, a flash. Was I about to regret asking?

"Even before he joined the board he was a prominent figure. People looked to him for leadership. He had to set an example, and he expected the same of his daughter. Plus, him being a military man through and through, there was some of the military strictness."

"Both my parents were military too. When it came to my behavior, they were strict, but when it came to what I wanted to do with my life, how I performed in life, they were perfectly happy so long as I was happy and tried."

"That sounds like mother…" Tali stated quietly. A hint of sadness, I think. "I know I sometimes felt like he was pushing me too hard when I was a kid, but now I'm old enough to appreciate what he taught me. The universe owes us nothing, and if we want something, we have to earn it."

"Also doesn't mean a parent shouldn't give unconditional love and support to their child," I argued.

"That… does sound nice…" she sighed. Damn it, now I want to punch her father.

"Are you close with him?" I asked hesitantly.

"He's not the kind of person you bond with. He wasn't around all that much. Too busy. Damn it now I want to punch him harder. A parent should always make time for their kid. "He takes his duties very seriously. Even when he was around, he was always distant, his mind elsewhere. Come to think of it…" she lowered her head again. "I can't even remember seeing him smile. Not once. Weighed down by that responsibility." See him smile? Does she mean that literally, or do the Admiralty get clean rooms for private quarters?

"What about your mother?"

"Well, everyone tends to blend into the background around my father," she strained a chuckle, and messed with her hood a little, awkwardly. "She was very supportive, loving, caring. And she was so beautiful. Members of the Admiralty board, the quarters for their family are a clean room. Whenever there, my mother refused to ever wear her suit, instead using a more traditional dress. Father and I did so less, but I still remember her doing small things with me often. Brushing my hair, teaching me to braid hers. Mother-daughter things," she chuckled again, but this time longingly. "She… passed on, five years ago. An airborne virus swept through the fleet. It happens sometimes when the filters break down." My heart sank for her. The parent that now, I'm looking at as the only true parent she had, died tragically. "Father only became even more focused on his work…" Goddamnit, my heart just sank further. If there was any time where she needed her father, it was then. And he wasn't able to give that to her.

"I know what it's like to lose a parent…" I sighed. I then stood and walked over to my desk and grabbed the metal star off it. I returned to my seat and held it up. "It's my Star of Terra. The medal they gave me after the Skyllian Blitz. Do you know why I was on Elysium on the first place?" I asked. Tali shook her head no.

"Weeks earlier, was Akuze. I was there on psychological leave, trying to recover. My father took leave to be there with me. We had just returned to our hotel from a bar when it began. Got armed, armored, and went to reinforce a weak fortification. One of the gun emplacements. I had the gun, dad covered me. For hours we were there, repelling feints and probing attacks, all the way to the full assault. Eventually, we were the only ones left there. But we held. He died in my arms that day, just as the pirates were retreating…" I recounted slowly. In one big gulp, I downed what remained of my beer. "Seems we got a good deal in common, you and I. Raised military, raised in space, good with tech and engines. And this shit…" Tali's shoulders slumped. She leaned forward, her hand reaching across. Gently grabbing mine. The material of her glove felt more or less like what you'd expect. A more loose, flexible material around her finger joints, and a harder, more leather like material around the palm. Obviously not actual leather, but, something.

"Shepard… I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. I'm sorry for your loss, you're sorry for mine, it's even. We'll call it even," I looked up at her with a half grin. We remained there for a small while longer. Just as I noticed her thumb had gently been rubbing the back of my hand. She yawned and raised both her hands up in a stretch. My eyes, very quickly, ran along her length, and I immediately chastised myself again. Hm, seems that even yawns can be contagious across species. Because I then yawned myself.

"Alright, Tali," I spoke, still at the end of my yawn. "I think it's about time we both got some sleep. Goodnight. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Shepard."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Several things I just need to note here for y'all. The Luna VI's name is, indeed, Hannibal. That's something mentioned both by Miranda and EDI in ME2. I checked the Wiki. It's Binary message does indeed translate to 'HELP.' I also hope you enjoy my change to the Alliance training facility. Felt that this makes a whole lot more sense than three separate bunker-like structures at the top of a lunar hill. Next, the stuff I said about Ol' Musky is legitimate, as were the details about the Apollo 11 site. The plaque, lander, and the discarded foil. Obviously, I can't be right about the replaced flag or the encased footprint. Finally, Tali's description of a Hraxa, is another thing from Calinstel's series. So, credit to him for that expanded Quarian language. Anyways, that's all. Thanks, hope you enjoyed, and remember, I'll see y'all either April 2** **nd** **, or more likely, April 6** **th** **. Sorry for the Hiatus, but if it's any consolation, that will be the beginning of my spring break, so I'll be ready and rearing to go grind through some chapters.**


	13. Not So Warm Welcome

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! I'm back from London! Had a good time, saw plenty of things we wanted to see. (Henry The 8** **th** **was one thicccc motherfucker, btw.) Was even visiting Windsor castle, and got to see "the President of Estonia and the President of Barbados" roll up to the non-public part of the council. To meet with the Queen. So, within a football field of her. So, that's pretty cool. Also, got a shit ton of pictures of Knight Armor and everything. Deus Vult, my friends. If ya wanna see pictures, join my Discord! *wink wink, nudge nudge* Link to join is on my profile page. Next, what might be a funny note for y'all. The first three pages worth of things (Helena Blake) were all done before I left. Everything else? (Everything after her) was done literally all today. Monday. The day after I got home. Well, technically same day, but that was One in the morning. Finally, I'm proud to announce that this story has been accepted into a community! My thanks to Way of the Sheikah for allowing this story into A Quarian and her Captain! So, regular schedule officially resumes, and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

We had spent the last two days going after Helena Blake's… acquaintances. Likely would have taken less time, but, each of their strongholds contained both large amounts of Red Sand, and prisoners destined for slavery. Each had the same story. A druggie who couldn't continue paying. All were suffering from withdrawal, malnourishment, and some of them, dehydration. We had to remain at each stronghold until the Alliance could arrive to evac the prisoners and confiscate the Red Sand. One of the Crime Bosses was a Batarian, with Krogan, Turian, Human, and Batarian under his command, and the other boss was Turian, with the same variation. Curious they both lacked Asari and biotics, but, I wouldn't complain.

Something I can't help but note, even though it most certainly has absolutely nothing to do with the criminals themselves, is that the second made his base within Dis, in Hades Gamma. On the planet Jartar, in that same system, was where the Leviathan of Dis was found years ago. It was apparently the 'corpse' of a genetically engineered living starship. Creepy. It was originally found by a Batarian survey team, estimated as billions of years old. It's a damn good thing Salarian researches got recordings of it before the Batarians snatched it. Because whenever it's mentioned they kick and scream like fucking children about how it never existed. And they scream louder when the recordings are shown. I don't know what the fucking Bats are up to with it, but I don't like it, and I hope someday we find out, maybe take it away from them.

Now, however, we were en-route to meet up with Helena. The goal was simple. Fully bring about the end of this organization. That will likely happen one of two ways. Helena in cuffs, or Helena dead on the floor. We had already landed on the frigid planet, just driving to the coordinates. We were in the Horsehead nebula. Specifically, Amaranthine in the Fortuna system. Within the shade of the mountains, the world appeared bleak and dark. But in the light from the sun, where the mountains lowered, and the clouds parted, the world was instead painted in a faint blue or purple tint. It was pretty. We crested one final mountain, and there was a small outpost out in a large, wide, open clearing at the base. I immediately stopped the Mako, starting to break out into a cold sweat. I'm not sure how long I remained frozen at the flat plain ahead of us, but it was long enough for people to take notice.

"Commander? Everything alright?" Kaidan asked from back in the crew cabin.

"Oh…" I heard Tali barely whisper under her breath. I then felt a three-fingered hand on my shoulder. I shook my head and took a deep breath. There was barely much of a gap between the base and the outpost. Even if there is a thresher somewhere out there, it shouldn't be that close. Come on, relax, John. You'll be alright. If one does appear, you have a fucking tank.

"I'm alright. I'm alright," I breathed. I continued driving. I turned my head to the side just a bit and nodded my thanks to Tali. I would have smiled to reassure her too, but given my helmet, it wouldn't have been seen. There were a handful of ground vehicles parked outside, and even a pair of shuttles. No guards outside, however. Still sweating, even shaking just barely, but no Thresher burst from below. Parked outside the outpost, and still no thresher. We got inside quickly. The airlock ran its cycle, and the interface for the door to the rest of the outpost turned green. I opened, and standing right in front of me, the old woman, Helena Blake. She was wearing a darker dress, but still had a pistol holstered at her thigh. And she had gangsters behind her. Armed and armored. Weapons lowered, however. Garrus and Ashley both bristled, nerves, I suspect. Or just being highly on guard.

"Hello again, Commander Shepard. I owe you a debt of gratitude," she smiled with false warmth. "With my former partners dead, this syndicate is now mine. I could not have done it without you."

"Don't thank me just yet…" I warned, trailing off. Helena's gaze immediately hardened, and I patted the pistol at my thigh. My crew readied their weapons, as did the gangsters. "Those men died because they wouldn't come quietly. And frankly, I won't shed any tears. You're under arrest, Helena Blake."

"Surely you don't think that necessary," she growled. "Under my leadership, this organization will restrict itself to gambling and smuggling illegal technologies. These crimes are hardly worth a Spectre's attention. But if you press the issue, my assistants are very well-equipped to deal with you."

I barked out a laugh.

"And so were the other crime bosses. And they're all dead. Let me tell you something, Ms. Blake. This gang has a reputation for drugs and slavery. You think it'll be easy finding business in something low profile? Who the hell is gonna trust it? And it won't keep police forces off your back. Do you think others in this organization will give it up so easily?"

"I…" Helena paused. "If I disband the gang, fully, so that someone won't simply come and take my place, but dismantle its network, you turn and walk away. You, nor any other officials pursue me. I have _not_ come so far to be arrested. I would die before hand, Commander. And I would most certainly kill before going. Do we have a deal?"

"That depends. How do I know I can trust you?"

"I am not so foolish as to break my word to a Spectre. They are the one branch of law that no one can escape. I value my life more than this," she stated calmly.

"Then we have a deal. But if I see even a hint of this gang again…" I trailed off. My team lowered their weapons, as did the gangsters.

"I understand, Commander." I nodded and began turning to leave. Garrus quickly came to my side, whispering, as the airlock began its process again.

"Commander, you're really just going to let them go?" he asked incredulously.

"I am, Garrus. I'm not exactly eager to slaughter everyone in that room. Which, would be exactly what would happen if I pushed the arrests. I'll be content with the gang being disbanded. But I wasn't bluffing. I wasn't exaggerating. If she rescinds on her word, I will track her down, and it will be her choice whether she spends her life in a cell or dies. Crime can be solved in more ways than a bullet or pair of cuffs," I explained. Garrus took in air as if he was about to argue, but no words came, and his head lowered as if in thought. "Just think about it, Garrus. Wait and see." The young Turian nodded his head, and we took our leave of this world.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Commander, we have something," Udina began, sat at his desk at the other end of the vidcall. While I was sat at my own desk in my quarters. I raised a brow and gestured for him to continue. "We've gotten reports that Matriarch Benezia has been spotted on Noveria. Specifically, Port Hanshan, the capital."

"Noveria? I know a bit about it. Practically like a pocket of the Terminus inside Council Space, like Illium, right?" I asked. Udina nodded.

"It is. Frozen world, colony is about twenty years old, and population is only under four hundred thousand. The planet is completely privately developed and supports many laboratories able to perform dangerous and controversial research without much Council scrutiny, while still receiving the resources and other benefits that come with being within Council space."

"And do we have any idea what Benezia might be doing there?"

"Only speculation. We have two solid pieces of information. Benezia was just recently spotted in the port, and that Saren is a major shareholder in the majority of corporations with labs on Noveria. It's likely she went to investigate a lab on his behalf, or all of them. Perhaps to retrieve something, to oversee something's completion, or I wouldn't be surprised just to hear she was preparing it to be attacked. We need you to go to Noveria, and investigate," the Ambassador finished.

"Can do. Luckily, we're already in the Horsehead Nebula. Should only take a small while to get there," I replied.

"Good to hear. Good luck, Commander." Udina ended the call, and I got onto the intercom to speak with my pilot.

"Joker, get us to Noveria." I then transferred to a ship-wide comm to communicate with the ground team, wherever they may be. "Ground team, suit back up. Matriarch Benezia has been spotted on Noveria, and we're already in the same cluster. We'll be docking at a port, so that means no hot-drop. But charge up your environmental controls. Average temperature is below freezing," I grumbled at the end, having pulled up a quick geographical report. I'll likely need to have a chat with Liara before the mission starts. Well, might as well get suited up myself first. So, I made my way down to the armory. No one joined me on the elevator, but the crew was all gathered around their lockers. Ashley had yet to begin getting suited back up, which seems unlike her. But then I noticed her Omni-tool was on, and she was talking in the corner, having walked away from the others as if to hear someone. Must have already been on a call. So, I made my way towards my locker, which was, coincidentally, closest to where she was now, and began the process of getting suited up.

"Before I go," I heard her call. "You're serving with Commander Shepard now? We saw him on the news here. He's cute," a younger woman's voice cooed. "Later, sis." Well, that's not new. Ever since the blitz I've seen that kind of thing around. As I was still strapping on my greaves, Ashley's face got redder and angrier, then went whiter when she saw I was right there.

"Tell me you didn't hear that," she sighed.

"Sister?" I responded nonchalantly, strapping on boots now.

"Until I get home and kill her," she grumbled. "Sarah. The youngest. Surprised you're not chatting up T'Soni," she changed topic. I raised a brow as I started working with the chest-piece.

"Why? Noveria?"

"That, and, well… it, just, seemed like you were getting along well with her," she remarked, failing at appearing innocence.

"...The fuck are you getting at, Williams?" I asked, almost exasperated. "I can count the amount of times I've had a real conversation with her on one hand." Kaidan, who was a few feet to my side, just shook his head. Hearing us despite trying to be quiet.

"Oh, well… I… guess I have something I feel… sort of… comfortable bringing up now…" she stuttered. "Do you really buy that she and her mom don't talk?" she managed to recover. "They're family, right?"

"Just because someone's family doesn't mean you're close to them. Your family might be tight-knit, but I have grandparents, aunts, uncles, and probably cousins. I've never even met because they're either dead or drunk or baked up to high hell out in the slums of some city on Earth. And I have no interest in ever meeting them because of that. Maybe some of the new additions are different, but those are paths that diverged long ago," I remarked. "Besides, if she has problems understanding jokes half the time, then her lies would be less convincing than Pinocchio." Williams seemed to muse on that and asked nothing more. So, I continued getting suited up. Glancing to the left, I noticed Liara's head dart away a few lockers down, followed by Tali's a few farther. I suppose my exasperation would have gotten some attention. And Liara is no doubt expecting a conversation given we're after Benezia. About a minute later, I was suited up with all but my weapons and helmet. And with that, I took Liara to the side for a moment. She took a deep breath before I asked my question.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Y-Yes, Commander. I can face my mother."

"If at any point you change your mind, you are free to return to the ship, or a safe zone. But combat will be the point of no return. I fully plan to bring her in alive, but it's always possible she might not allow that," I warned.

"I… I understand…" she breathed again. I nodded, patted her shoulder, and let her go. I returned to my locker, grabbed and holstered my weapons, and kept my helmet hooked under my arm. I made my way to the cockpit for our arrival at the port. Just as I was walking down the bridge, we came out of FTL in orbit around the ice-ball. As I stepped into the cockpit, Joker had just finished requesting an approach vector.

"Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled. Our defense systems are on and tracking. State your business," the port warned. Well, tracking, but we could flick the stealth systems on at any moment and they won't be tracking us anymore.

"Citadel business. We've got a Council Spectre aboard," Joker answered, a hint of annoyance. A few seconds passed.

"Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised: we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded. Sending approach vector now." Joker pressed a few keys once the display lit up with new data, and the ship launched away, heading towards the surface of the planet.

"What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave here," Joker… joked.

"Shore leave wouldn't be a fitting name though. Hm, unless the Normandy was the Titanic," I chuckled.

Joker snorted with a quick laugh. "Never let go, Jack."

"Why? Else you'll break something?" I teased.

"Oooooh, low blow, Commander," Joker let the laugh linger this time. "Making fun of the poor cripple, sheesh."

"I knew you had brittle bones, but a brittle ego too?" I continued.

"The bones are Vrolik's Syndrome. So, the ego must be just bitchy syndrome," Joker chuckled. Our round of spontaneous, and rather enjoyable banter ended as we passed down through a cloud layer after entering atmo, and, great. Blizzard. I grumbled internally. We came into dock, the ship being secured, and the docking tube reaching the bridge airlock. And the ground team joined me just in time. Helmets on.

"You can feel free to leave the helmets off so long as we're in port," I stated, clipping my own helmet to my belt. I then gestured for them to fall in, and we entered the airlock, let it run its decontamination, and we exited. I was immediately thankful that the hanger bay had closed behind the ship to keep the cold out, and that the heating inside was extensive. Still, another part of my mind immediately started planning what would need to happen for an escape, if necessary. We made our way down the dock and to the port entrance. There was a security detail present. Two human women, and a Turian man. One of the human women was in front of the two others, with her weapon holstered. The others had weapons out but lowered. I kept my own holstered, so my crew kept theirs the same. I noticed the security detail nervously grip their weapons a bit tighter, seeing how outnumbered they were.

"That's far enough," the lead woman raised a hand. I complied, standing straight with my hands behind my back. There were only a few meters between us.

"We're not here to cause problems. I'm tracking a lead on someone, and we got word that person was recently seen in port," I explained reassuringly.

"This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials," the lead woman, brown hair in a bun, Asian, stated. The other woman just behind her, a blonde with short hair, was frowning, giving us all quite the stink-eye.

"Commander John Shepard. Both Alliance Navy, and Council Spectre," I opened my Omni-tool and sent the credentials to her. She began looking at them as the blonde woman sneered.

"Load of horse crap, ma'am."

"We will need to confirm that," the lead woman raised a disapproving brow to the blonde.

"You must be out of the loop then. My appointment was a small while over a week ago. More than enough time for the news to come through the comm buoys here," I remarked. The security detail glanced amongst each other again.

"I must advise you that firearms are not permitted to those outside of the security force while on Noveria. I will need you to relinquish your weapons to Sergeant Stirling," the lead woman stated. The blonde woman, Stirling, no doubt, smirked again and began to approach.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Ma'am." I kept my weapons behind my back. Her hand hovered over her pistol while Stirling and the Turian readied their weapons.

"And why's that?" she asked, highly defensively.

"I'm tracking a dangerous individual who no doubt brought more dangerous individuals with them. While I will be content to wait here to speak with the Security Chief or someone higher on the chain of command before entering the port, I am a Council Spectre, and my crew and I shall keep our weapons." She seemed to relax a little.

"Captain Matsuo! Stand down!" A woman's voice on the intercom ordered. Well, now I have a name for the lead. Sterling and the Turian began to relax themselves, but Stirling was still glaring at us. The Turian just seemed happy the situation was defused. "We have confirmed his identity. Spectres and their crew are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."

"Well, there we go," I shrugged casually.

"Very well, you may proceed, Spectre," Captain Matsuo bowed. "Parasini-san will meet you upstairs." Well, that heavily narrows down just which kind of Asian she is. Japanese.

"Thank you, Captain," I nodded, and we entered the port. Through a door, up some stairs, and through some security scanners. Which immediately started going off as we walked through. An olive-skinned woman spoke up, coming out to the security barrier/desk on our left side.

"Weapon detectors. Don't mind the alarms," she reassured. Everyone stepped through, some buttons were pressed, and the alarms were turned off. "My name is Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay."

"It's no issue. I understand in some places news of my appointment may still be unheard. Nonetheless, I do appreciate your help," I stated, keeping my tone friendly.

"You're welcome. And I appreciate your understanding. Now, what can we help you with?" Hm, let's not begin bluntly.

"Has anyone unusual passed through recently?"

"Unusual?" Gianna cocked her head to the side, brow raised. "Let's see… Ah, an Asari Matriarch passed through a few days ago. Lady Benezia." Bingo.

"Do you know where she is?" I just barely turned my head to see that Liara was standing straighter now.

"I'm afraid she left for the Peak Fifteen research complex hours after her arrival. To the best of my knowledge, and according to Port logs, she's still there."

"Then I need directions to get there."

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave the port, unfortunately." Internally, I grumbled. Bureaucracy. Well, shouldn't be too hard to take the Mako from the cargo hold, transfer it down into the loading areas I saw below the dock, and bring it out to a way out.

"And where can I find him?" I asked, annoyance starting to sneak through.

"His office is on the main level. Go through the elevator behind you, then make your first left, followed by another left," Gianna directed.

"Thanks for your cooperation," I gave a small grin to help make up for the slip up of annoyance and turned to bring the others into the elevator. It was smaller than those on the Citadel, making this one a bit of a squeeze, but we did just fine. The main floor was a large and open room, though just as comfortable temperature wise as the hangar. The walls, ceiling, floor, and decor all looked relatively spartan and utilitarian, though the wall to the outside had large windows. However, the only thing to see was the white-grey of a blizzard. The people, both civilians and security personnel, gave us several looks, most ranging in the negatives.

We made our way to the Administrator's office, and Parasini was waiting at a receptionist's desk. But she simply told us that Anoleis was ready to see me. I told the squad to wait outside and entered. Anoleis was a Salarian, not surprising given the name, but a very grumpy looking Salarian. His skin was mostly a light shade of blue, greying near the top of his head. His suit was also blue in the center, with black shoulders and sleeves. His brows were furrowed, and his hands clenched on the desk in front of him.

"You will excuse me if I don't stand up," he remarked, entirely disinterested. "I have no time to entertain space born vagabonds." I raised a brow but resisted giving him a reaction beyond that. Part of me wanted to make some sort of retort.

"I'm here as a Spectre. On Spectre business. That's all that matters."

"I couldn't agree more," he remarked snidely. "This greeting is only a courtesy. I will only cooperate as required by the Executive Board." So, it's going to be like that, huh?

"My investigation is a matter of galactic security. I know that Matriarch Benezia recently arrived on this planet and has since made her way to Peak Fifteen. According to the Port's logs, she has not since returned. First, I need to know what and who she arrived with." Anoleis sighed, annoyed.

"A personal escort and cargo. The former were Asari commandos, and the latter was large, heavy, sealed, and passed weapons screening." I'd bet Geth could get around that easily. And Asari Commandos? Shit, that makes our job harder.

"Do you know why she was here?"

"No, and if I did, I wouldn't be at liberty to say. She came here as Agent Saren's executor. He's a large shareholder in Binary Helix, and she came to represent him for problems at Peak Fifteen that required his attention."

"Then I need a pass to leave to see her."

"I'm afraid you cannot," Anoleis was, again, annoyed. As was I. "Peak Fifteen is a private facility in the Skadi Mountains. Regardless, there is a blizzard in the area. Shuttles are grounded, and surface access has been cut off."

"Saren is no longer a Council Spectre, but a traitor. He has been stripped of his status. I brought my own vehicle, an M-35 Mako, that is more than rated to deal with the conditions outside, and to climb over whatever obstacle is blocking the path. Give me clearance to leave and let me convince those at Peak Fifteen.

"No. I will ensure our clients security. If you must, you can wait for the storm to pass and you can speak with a representative here in the port, and that is final." I frowned, and my brows furrowed at this response. Angrily, quietly, I stood and left. I came out of the office and to where the others were waiting still fuming.

"Mr. Anoleis isn't the only one with a pass to leave Hanshan," Parasini whispered from her desk. I froze in my tracks and calmed a bit. I turned. "You can't bludgeon through bureaucracy."

"But I can certainly bludgeon through that slime ball's skull," I grumbled.

"I'm sure," she smirked. "Talk to Lorik Qui'in. Should be in the hotel bar. Other side of the main floor, right side. Directly across from where you came in." she continued quietly. I took a deep breath and nodded my thanks.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

As the Commander entered the Administrator's office, the rest of us, with the exception of Wrex, sat down on the chairs in the waiting area, just by the receptionist's desk. I noticed Liara staring at the ground, fidgeting. I can't imagine what kind of thoughts are going through her head. Fortunately, it seems that Kaidan noticed, and had sat beside her. He started talking to her, though I was too far away to hear the details. Ashley was sitting closer, and appeared either uncomfortable, or upset. I couldn't be sure. I haven't seen enough of Human body language to be certain without confusing it for Quarian body language. Perhaps it was related to that disagreement they had back on the ship, whatever it was. I just heard Shepard raise his voice, then saw how he had stopped in the middle of his preparations to turn to her and say… something that wasn't what she wanted to hear. I remember noticing his back. Clearly well built, toned body of a soldier. Such strong arms… Keelah, stop it, Tali!

I shook my head clear of those thoughts, very thankful for the mask to hide my blush. It is highly inappropriate to think of one's Captain in such a way. Further, he's not even Quarian! He may be a very nice man, but… I shook my head clear again as such thoughts returned. I felt my blush grow brighter.

"Something wrong, kid?" Wrex spoke up, surprising me a little.

"Uh, no, no. Everything's fine, thank you, Wrex," I stammered. I was also surprised the Krogan had been treating me well too. Helping me, even. I took a deep breath to calm myself as Wrex remained quiet and cleared my head. I sat patiently until Shepard returned, less than pleased. The others and myself began to stand, but before Shepard could speak to us, the woman, Parasini, I think her name was, caught his attention with a whisper. They shared a quiet conversation, then Shepard nodded, returning to us.

"He didn't cooperate, did he, Commander?" Garrus questioned.

"No. No he did not. Short of putting a gun to his head, which I'm not inclined to do, we're low on options. But… I have an idea," he trailed off. Interested, we followed. We continued receiving stares the whole way. A part of me was grateful that, I was not the only one receiving them. Yet unlike the other times, where they stare at me, and then the others, I do not feel guilt, that I'm the reason they receive stares, because they all start at Shepard. The Spectre is what they care about.

We made our way to another elevator on the other side of the main floor, which took us up to where the music of a club, similar in make to Flux, was easily heard. I tried to focus on the music to help ease myself. It was most certainly not the kind of music any of the Fleet's famous dancers would dance to, but rather something the common citizen would be able to move with. Club music. No one in this club was dancing, just sat, talking and drinking, or just watching. Scantily clad Asari maneuvered their way through the crowds, holding trays of bottles, all likely containing some form of alcohol. They must be servers, as I just saw one bring the tray to a table and leave a bottle, before leaving towards a bar. Shepard gently and politely got one's attention, simply a tap on the shoulder, and asked a question. The music was loud, but not so loud that you couldn't hear the voice of someone nearby.

"Any chance you can point me towards a Lorik Qui'in?" Shepard asked. The server appeared surprised to be questioned by a man clad in armor and his back covered in weapons, and perhaps even surprised for a politely worded question with a polite way to grab her attention. The Asari nodded and raised a finger, pointing towards a table with a lone, older looking Turian man, most of his face covered with white colony markings. "Much appreciated," Shepard nodded and grinned. He then led the way towards his table. This, Lorik, watched us during the whole approach, his mandibles flaring as he likely mused what the reason for this was.

"Afternoon. Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?" he greeted, surprisingly, warmly. Shepard accepted the seat, but as a server came by, declined a drink.

"I heard you might be able to lend a hand," Shepard remarked, leaning back in his seat. The rest of us stood in a half circle behind him.

"The fact you are armed confirms that you're the Spectre that just arrived in port. Well, what could an old Turian such as myself possibly help you with?" Lorik leaned forward, one hand resting behind his chair, the other, on his upper leg.

"I need clearance to leave through the garage. I got places to go, people to see," Shepard answered casually, not revealing anything about destination or reason.

"Ah, you need a pass." The Turian let out a huff of air, like a chuckle. "How fortuitous. I'm the manager for the local Synthetic Insights office. For the moment at least. I trust the Migrant Fleet are still happy with our arrangements?" he turned to me, catching me by surprise just for a moment.

"Last I was there, and with the details the public was privy to, yes," I answered.

"The Fleet deals with Synthetic Insights?" Kaidan asked, brow raised, and head tilted to the side.

"But of course. The Quarians are among the best natural engineers and programmers, and the only ones who actively enter combat with Geth. Aside from current events, at least. While Synthetic Insights is certainly not looking to create either Geth or AI ourselves, knowing more about the Geth and their programming, is helpful both in avoiding the same result, and improving our own work," Lorik explained.

"Essentially, we share knowledge, occasionally among other things," I added.

"Yes. Anyways, back to my point. Mr. Anoleis has closed my office. He claims to be investigating reports of my corruption. But the Administrator is an interesting man. He has become quite wealthy since he took direct control of rents…" Lorik trailed off. Shepard nodded his head. A Turian risking the group for personal gain is uncommon. And even then, one who lies about being responsible is even more rare. Even among murders, when questioned, the Turian murderer is highly likely to admit to the crime rather than be branded a dishonorable liar.

"One might wonder if they're connected," Shepard made a show of musing. Obviously buying it, but just playing the game, so to speak.

"Indeed," Lorik seemed to grin. "I acquired evidence of his actions. His hired goons are ransacking my office to find it. If you can recover the evidence, I will give you both my garage pass, and a sum of credits.

"Can you tell me just what these goons are? I'm assuming they aren't the security force for the port," Shepard continued.

"And that would be the… what's that charming Human expression? Fly in the… lotion?"

"Ointment," Ashley corrected.

"Yes, yes," Lorik waved it off. What's a fly? "The thugs are members of Hanshan's security team, but they are both being paid extra, under the table, and are doing this during their off-duty time." Shepard frowned, and remained quiet for a moment.

"I don't like killing what are basically cops, but… if they're dirty, and shoot me, I suppose that's on them. And I can just see about talking them down."

"Excellent. Here is my pass into our offices," Lorik handed Shepard a key card. "This will activate the elevator. The evidence is on my office computer. This OSD," Lorik held said OSD up before handing it to Shepard. "Contains an encryption key to access it. Put it in the drive, and it will auto-execute. And finally, here's a directory to get you there." Shepard then nodded, took the items, stood, and waved us along to follow him to the elevator.

Before long, we had arrived at the level that Synthetic Insights held their office. The doors opened, and two guards, a Human woman and Turian man, were very surprised, scrambling for their weapons. But we drew ours first.

"F-freeze! Hanshan security! This office is sealed!" the woman stuttered, her weapon ready, and shaking. Liara, Wrex, and Kaidan glowed blue, a barrier forming in front of us. "Shit…" the woman muttered. More personnel stumbled down the stairs. About five, while two took aim from the upper level. We were outnumbered and outgunned, but not outmatched.

"Put. Your weapons. Down. I know you are here because Anoleis is paying you secretly to shake this place down. I am a Council Spectre, accompanied by three Biotics. One of whom is an Asari, another, a Krogan. The rest, are well trained soldiers and techs. Put away your guns and leave with your lives. Go enjoy the downtime that you _should_ be having," Shepard ordered. The security personnel glanced among themselves. Then the woman at the front just shook her head.

"Fuck this," she muttered, holstering her pistol, raising her hands, and walking to the elevator. And with that, the resolve of the others crumbled, and muttering their own curses, some about how the pay isn't quite good enough, not one of them resisted further. No guards were left. Shepard began chuckling.

"I'm not sure what it is, but there's just something about _that_ that is really, and I mean _really_ goddamn satisfying. Getting a room full of armed guards to just hit fuck it and leave? I mean fucking hell, what a bunch of badasses we must be," Shepard continued chuckling as he holstered his weapon. I smiled under the helmet, while others joined the chuckling, or just smiled without a helmet. We quickly stopped and easily found Lorik's office. Shepard followed the Turians instructions, and our job here was finished. We turned to leave the office, but the hallway had newcomers. The same blonde-haired woman from the docks, Stirling, accompanied by two other guards.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Shepard," she sneered again.

"Well, looks like we got something in common then," he remarked, hand hovering over his pistol. Sterling's weapons were also holstered, but the two Turians at her side had their weapons out. Fortunately, the rest of us already had our weapons out and ready. Shepard's orders. Just in case. "Don't suppose I can convince you to leave like the others?"

"With the amount of credits he offered me? Not a chance," she smirked.

"Pity," Shepard shrugged. He then whipped his pistol out and fired it three times before Sterling. The movement of his arm hadn't even registered by the time the first shot rang out. The first two bullets were reflected by her shields. The third, went straight through her head, and she fell dead. "Just get the fuck out of here," Shepard grumbled to the other two guards. They glanced at each other and ran towards the elevator. "You know, I wouldn't have minded giving that bitch a good solid punch after earlier, but this? What a fucking waste." Shepard then sighed. "Fuck it. Let's just get this shit back to Qui'in." Everyone was quiet as we returned to the elevator and made our way back down to the main floor, so we could go back up a different elevator to get to the club. Outside the elevator, was Parasini.

"I've heard that several groups of guards just left the Synthetic Insights office, and just recently, loud noise. Would you know anything about it? Commander?" she raised a brow knowingly.

"Must be Anoleis' thugs ripping the place apart," Shepard remarked, having calmed down a bit.

"Smartass, hm? That's fine. I can work with that. Come, let's go grab a drink at the hotel bar. Before you talk to Qui'in. Your crew can come, but, separately. My paycheck isn't _that_ big."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

Parasini and I sat down at a seat in the bar. She had wine, I had a beer. Going to need a clear head for Benezia, after all. Must be an odd sight, given I'm still armed and armored. My crew had split between sitting at a table or standing in the middle of that collection. In Kaidan's case, that's trying to be involved in several conversations. In Tali's case, that's not paying much attention to the conversations, and instead, the music. Wasn't high quality music, but she was enjoying it enough. Moving with it a bit. Swaying those hips from side to side…

"So, allow me to reintroduce myself, Commander," Parasini spoke in an entirely different tone, catching me off guard and by surprise. Where before it had been light and softer, now it was more aggressive and firm. Parasini. Noveria Internal Affairs," she flicked out a badge on her Omni-tool display before quickly turning it back off. I focused onto her. "The Executive board knows about Anoleis' corruption. I've been undercover for six months. I want you to convince Qui'in to testify before the Board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again." I took a sip of my beer, and she took a swig of her wine. Hm, six months of Anoleis' bullshit? Surprised that's not hard liquor.

"So long as I get a garage pass, that sounds pretty fucking nice to me," I answered.

"Excellent. If part of a new deal means you don't get his garage pass, I'll give you whatever you need. Favor for a favor," Parasini reassured.

"Done deal." I downed the rest of my beer and set the glass down. I stood and made a beeline for Qui'in. He appeared nervous that I had been talking with her. I sat, and just got right down to it. "Got the evidence, Qui'in. Any chance you'd be willing to testify against Anoleis? Got contacted by an Internal Affairs investigator."

"I have no interest in a public spectacle, Commander," Qui'in's brow furrowed.

"Really? You want to see that slime ball continue to profit from extortion? Everyone seems to be getting tired of it. You help bring about its end it might make you a hero. Maybe even convince the board to make you Administrator…" I trailed off. He began considering.

"My employers rely on the goodwill of the Executive board to work here…"

"And this will get you more. They know he's dirty, just need proof. You can give them that proof to finally be done with him," I reassured. Qui'in sighed.

"Fine. Fine. Tell this agent I'll comply. Here, as promised." Qui'in handed me another keycard, labeled as a Garage pass, and then transferred some credits to my Omni-tool.

"Pleasure doing business with you."


	14. A Bug Problem

**Commander John Shepard**

"He'll play ball, Parasini," I informed, transferring the evidence to her.

"Good. Now I can finally end this damn charade," she muttered. "Almost didn't expect the help. Being a Spectre and all."

"Yeah, well, I ain't most Spectres."

"Clearly. Now, for the moment I've dreamed of for the past six damn months," she grumbled. immediately standing from her desk, grumpily kicking her heels off and pulling out both a pistol and cuffs from her desk and stormed into Anoleis' office.

"My kind of girl," Ashley chuckled. A small grin formed on my face as I decided to step to the side a bit, leaning up against the wall, and watching. A moment passed, and I heard Anoleis' annoying and pissed off voice.

"This is an outrage! I'll see that you never work this sector again!" he shouted before I saw him being shoved forward by Parasini. A look of smug satisfaction on her face. The former Administrator then locked eyes with me. "Shepard! I demand you place this bitch under arrest!"

"Me? But I'm just a space born vagabond, remember?" I responded, my own grin growing wider. I heard Wrex rumble slightly with laughter.

"You have the right to remain silent. I wish to god you'd exercise it," Parasini growled, growing tired of him. She then continued marching him forward. "See you 'round the galaxy, Commander. I owe you a beer."

"Oh, that feels good," I chuckled lightly as they marched out the door.

"He was that bad, huh?" Kaidan smirked.

"Probably a bit worse than you think. Alright, alright. Enough of this. Let's get our asses to Peak Fifteen."

It didn't take long for us to arrange the Mako to be transferred to the garage, but long enough that waiting for it there would be enjoyable. What we did instead, was just all grab a small bite at one of the restaurants here.

Internally, I was surprised that it was so easy to find one that was able to provide a sterilized meal that wasn't just nutrient paste for Tali, but, she did say the Fleet often does business on Noveria. While it was a bit weird to just be sitting there, all of us in our armor, it would have been too much of a pain to just get out of the armor back on board, leave to eat, return to get back in, then go to the Mako. Before too long, we had eaten, paid, and got ourselves to the garage. The guard outside was clearly nervous to be blocking our entry but was relieved when I just handed a valid garage pass, happy to just let me go on my merry way. I saw the Mako waiting by the doors outside, just in front of a larger land vehicle. Cargo transport, most likely.

There was a thunk, followed by clicking. We froze and got our weapons out before I heard the sound of a rifle go off behind me. I spun on a dime, saw that Garrus had fired at something above, and as my eyes darted up, a wiry form fell.

"Geth!" Garrus shouted. An alarm started going off and more Geth appeared. We scattered to cover. Either behind crates, or the larger vehicle.

"Count em out! Call em out!" I shouted an order, trying to get eyes on the Geth myself.

"Two destroyers! By the Mako!" Tali shouted.

"Bunch more of the jumpy fuckers!" Ashley added, rifle going off. I followed one of those thinner, jumpier Geth best I could, taking a shot right as one landed. One arm went limp, but it still jumped again, barely holding on. But this had slowed it enough for Kaidan to finish it off with a burst. Wrex and Tali focused on the Destroyers, the Krogan using his biotics to throw one into a wall, it's glowing eye dimming. I heard the door open behind us and the sound of several pairs of feet running in, rifles going, off, but mostly missing the Geth. I glanced to see Captain Matsuo and a few other of the security guards had joined us. Tali had just gotten her own destroyer down, so while the help was certainly not needed, it helped us take care of the smaller Geth much easier.

"Area secured!" Garrus called out.

"Commander, what the hell were those things?!" Captain Matsuo demanded.

"Easy, easy. Geth ambush. My guess is it's what the woman we're hunting, Matriarch Benezia, brought with her in her crates," I explained.

"But, how?" she questioned, confused and surprised. "We did thorough scans of those. We scan everything thoroughly! No power sources, no Eezo masses…"

"Even my people are unsure of just how much the Geth have advanced since their rebellion. I'm sure that a means to fool scanners is well within their abilities," Tali remarked. Matsuo sighed.

"If Benezia-sama's containers were packed with them, there are many more out there. Some were obviously left here, others were taken with her."

"Any chance you can give me numbers?" I requested. She shook her head.

"At least dozens. She had many crates and they could be packed tightly." I nodded thanks for the information. "I must report to the executive board. If word gets out, there will be panic."

"Don't worry, Captain. We'll have this problem solved by the end of the day," I reassured.

"Thank you, Commander. And good luck." Matsuo took her leave, while her guards remained to further search the area. While my team and I climbed into the Mako, powered it up, ensured the environmental controls were the best we could have them, and made our way out into the blizzard. The temperature readings immediately began plummeting for the outside. So long as we kept moving, should be fine for the Mako, at least.

"Goddamn guys. Look at the temperature out there," I remarked. It was getting to around negative forty. Fahrenheit.

"Yeah I'm staying inside the Mako. That's for damn sure," Ashley muttered.

"Agreed, Williams. If I were to step outside I'd be dead in under a minute," Garrus added.

"Wonderful, wonderful Noveria heat, right?" I joked.

"Something like that," Kaidan chuckled. Tali then visibly shuddered.

"You alright?" I asked as I drove along the cliffside. Maybe hugging the rock wall on our right just a bit.

"Yes, yes. Sorry. Just a really… weird feeling. But it passed," she answered. I just shrugged it off. I drove around a corner, and then rounds started pinging off the shields.

"Geth and a turret! Take em down, Garrus!" I ordered, swerving to avoid a missile. The Mako's gun rocked with the shot of an explosive round and the Geth turret exploded. The Geth foot soldiers standing at the front of a tunnel were mowed down by the MG as we drove ahead. And the MG fire didn't let up as along the tunnel were more Geth foot soldiers and some kinetic barriers they put up. Didn't last long under fire, however. Tali then cheered as another Geth trooper was crushed beneath our wheels. Left me chuckling.

As we came out of the tunnel, we got eyes on an Armature waiting for us. Fortunately, we already had an explosive round waiting. Took out a few of the Geth troops around it as well with the blast, leaving Garrus satisfied with himself.

"Shepard, I'm still detecting fire impacting our shields. Left side," Tali called out.

"On it. Looking for the source…" Garrus responded in my place. "Ah, seeing the trail of some Geth fire on the other ridge. Far away, missing most of their shots, right by another tunnel. I see rockets from a turret too, but the wind is blowing it off course. Want me to take em out?"

"Looks like the path leads us around that way. If you think you can make the shot, take it. If not, we'll just move in closer," I answered.

"Understood. Now, let's compensate for wind… thank you, visor… and…. Firing." Garrus fired the round and I watched, magnifying the Mako's display to the Geth turret. Then it went down in flames. "Scoped and dropped! Ha ha!" Garrus laughed.

"Goddamn, nice shot Vakarian," Kaidan chuckled.

"I suppose that's impressive," Wrex remarked casually.

"I feel like I should give you a promotion for that. But… it also occurs to me that you don't have a rank on my ship. So…" I shrugged, smirking.

"Then I suppose I can have whatever rank I want? Great! General Vakarian does have a nice ring to it," he joked.

"General?" I chuckled. "You don't have a rank on my ship. Essentially, that should mean you're not enlisted. Private Vakarian."

"Will it at least get me a pay raise?"

"When the hell did I start paying you, Garrus?" He just allowed a short laugh in response as we continued driving.

"Are most conversations like this?" Liara asked.

"The fun ones are," I answered. She didn't respond.

I continued driving us along the ridge towards another tunnel. The Geth who still lingered were taken down by a few quick bursts of MG fire, and we continued. There was no further resistance along the length of the tunnel, or the following bend. A facility loomed overhead, marked with the number 15. Our destination, obviously. Another chasm separated our current position from the facility, but the same ridge following the mountainside inwards would eventually bring us there regardless. And it was not a chasm the Mako could jump.

It wasn't long before Garrus spotted a trio of turrets on the distant mountainside, overlooking the far ridge. So, the Mako came to a stop, and Garrus neutralized them with three well placed shots. Without any more hostiles, the Mako rolled up to the entrance to Peak Fifteen. It had a larger vehicle entrance, and a smaller personnel entrance beside it. Likely for maintenance or something. Unfortunately, the garage door wouldn't open for us.

"Should we disembark, Commander?" Tali asked.

"No, I don't like leaving the Mako out in this cold for as long as we're probably going to be in there. Plus, with all the Geth along the mountainside, there's probably more in the facility. And that means ambush. On the off chance I'm wrong and everything inside is going along fine and dandy, they can bill me. Garrus! Mind making us an entrance?"

"With pleasure, Shepard," the Turian chuckled. I backed up from the door a bit but kept my foot right over the pedal.

"When we're in, I want everyone except Garrus and Tali to immediately disembark and give supporting fire. Use the Mako for cover if you have to, but try and find anything else you can use," I ordered. Garrus fired, and I slammed it down, the Mako bursting into the garage from the hole we just created. Geth fire immediately started pinging off our shields. Some of it was heavier fire than others. This was a situation that our shields wouldn't hold out for long. The others began flooding out, and as the last one had, I turned the Mako so that it was sideways with the hole in the door, then ran out to join the firefight myself. Garrus mowing down everything he could, and Tali could now transfer power from systems from something like environmental to shields.

"Commander, we got Krogan!" Kaidan called out.

"That's a surprise," I muttered. "Aim for the head! They can't blood rage or regen without a brain!" Obviously, for Garrus, it wouldn't matter. They can't regenerate if there's nothing to regenerate. Still, he wouldn't be able to use explosive rounds.

"And a big fucking Geth!" Ashley shouted.

"Juggernaut!" Tali added.

"Focus fire on him then!" I ordered. Our gunfire, combined with the Mako's MG, brought it down into a leaking shredded mass of metal rather quickly. But then the Krogan charged.

"Biotics! Shockwave!" I shouted. They were really close now. Wrex ran out, followed by Kaidan and then Liara, and they put their biotics together to launch them all back towards the far wall. Garrus let loose with the MG, and nothing was left but a bullet riddled mass of flesh and bone and blood. Barely recognizable.

"Too fucking close," I murmured. If those Krogan had finished their charge, we would have certainly taken casualties. Maybe heavy ones. "Garrus, Tali, come on. Let's move out." They followed their orders, and we formed up, moving up a ramp to an upper level to enter the facility proper. It was a mix of an airlock and a security checkpoint, complemented by a pair of automated turrets. Facing inside the facility.

"Why are the turrets facing the wrong way?" Tali asked, confused.

"They're more concerned with someone or something getting out, than they are with someone getting in. This is Binary Helix, right? That's biohazards, gene splicing, modifying, so on, so forth," Garrus answered.

"So, what? Big giant mutants?" Ashley remarked.

"Down to some kind of super virus that could wipe out an entire population. You don't want someone infected getting out," I responded.

"But biological weapons are illegal," Liara stated innocently. Wrex barked a short laugh.

"Welcome to Noveria," I answered bitterly. Fortunately, the turrets didn't fire on us as we entered. On the other side of the airlock, after a decontamination phase, there was an elevator on our left. But we checked the security checkpoint first. Maybe we could figure out what was going on. But got nothing. The terminals in there weren't just offline but smashed to hell. If it was just the monitors it wouldn't be a problem, just link our Omni-tools. But we can't connect with busted hardware. So, we went down the elevator, and into a large open room covered in snow, as a window to the outside had been shattered. And Geth were waiting.

"Techs! How about we get some allies, eh?" I suggested, opening my Omni-tool and linking to a Geth. Tali immediately did the same, Garrus and Kaidan both firing a shot before getting down in cover, the others covering them. At least these were all standard Geth troops. I remembered Tali's lessons, and her training program. She was finished within seconds, while I struggled a bit longer. Within thirty, I managed to get one hacked. Firing.

"Damn it, mine just got shot down," Garrus muttered, standing up to start shooting. It was fun watching Geth walk around a corner to obliterate one of their own, before a non-hacked one put them down. Thus, putting themselves in our line of fire to take them down.

"Yeah! Got mi-" Kaidan cheered, stopping just as the last Geth's head exploded. "Oh. Bit late, I guess…" There was a creaking noise. Metal being scraped and bent. Wrex began sniffing the air. He began growling. We all formed a circle, backs against one another, weapons and eyes scanning for whatever the hell this thing would be. And then a screech.

"Up there!" Garrus shouted. "More of those… things we saw with Cerberus!" Our eyes all darted up to meet what he was pointing at. Another of the insectoid or arachnid things was on the upper level, behind glass I doubted we could shoot through. Then a small swarm of the smaller ones burst out from the left of where we saw the creature but were quickly all killed by Ashley and Wrex. Mostly with guns, but also with a Krogan boot.

There were two of the larger creatures that made their way towards the staircase down to us, but the moment they came out from behind the glass, we mowed them down. Blood spewing, chunks of flesh blown away, even their antennae… things messily being shot off.

"Well, at least they're just dumb animals," I muttered. Wouldn't take long for everything to go tits up if otherwise.

"It can't be coincidental. Think Cerberus and Binary Helix are working together?" Kaidan suggested.

"I damn well intend to find out," I growled, anger seeping through. Just at the thought of Cerberus. Carefully, we continued up and to another elevator. Surprisingly, it brought us upward, not downward.

"The VI core. Maybe we can find out what's going on here," Tali stated, as we came out into the room. Then more of the small bastards swarmed from the core. Some of us took a knee at the front, others remained standing, shooting over those at the front. But none of them got remotely close. A pair of the bigger ones burst out from the ventilation ducts on the floor and walls, but left their heads exposed as they crawled out, letting us put them down easily. The room was clear, and Tali moved to a breaker on the wall. She pulled its lever. I read the sign over. Backup power, good.

"Critical startup error. Virtual Intelligence user interface offline. Manual boot required," the VI informed.

"Well, we could just slap some Omni-gel on it and call it a day, or just slog through the normal way," I remarked.

"Save the Omni-Gel, Commander. I can do it," Tali responded.

"Be my guest," I gestured towards the core. We moved to the back of the room and to the core. Bunch of hardware and switches were already there, surrounding a central platform. And with a button labeled as the one to enter the core. Tali stepped onto the platform, pressed the button, and descended. Giving us a small wave as she left our view. Less than a minute later, the core lit up like a Christmas tree, and Tali ascended back to our level. Ashley let out a whistle.

"That was fast," she remarked.

"Please, I'm a Quarian. This is second nature to us," Tali humbly responded. She turned to step back to us, and as she was in the middle of doing so, a holographic VI body formed, partially enveloping her, distorting the hologram as Tali stepped out. Gave her a start of surprise, but she was fine. Earned a few chuckles.

"It looks like you're trying to restore this facility. Would you like help?" the VI asked.

"Shit, a pop up," I joked. I then turned back to the VI. "What is the name of this system?"

"This system is monitored to respond to the name 'Mira.' May I ask your name?"

"Commander John Shepard. Council Spectre."

"May I see credentials for verification?" I gave the VI what it requested. "One moment please… Council authority confirmed. You are entitled to secure access of all systems. Please note that queries relating to corporate secrets require privileged access. Privileged access is only available to Binary Helix executives." I raised a brow in response. A Spectre should have more clearance when conducting an investigation. Suppose this means I'll only be getting half answers, but I think I'll be able to figure it out eventually. "This system is ready to process queries. You may access me at any holographic interface within Peak Fifteen."

"I need to find a Matriarch Benezia."

"Lady Benezia departed on the passenger tramway to the Rift Station subsidiary labs. User alert! The tramway system is currently inoperable." Hm, going to have to fix that.

"I require a situation report."

"One moment, please. Diagnostics in progress." I quickly turned to the others, who were mostly, getting bored.

"Defensive positions around the room. Keep it secured, watch all potential entrances. Even vents," I ordered. They nodded and followed orders.

"Critical failure: Main reactor shut down in accordance with emergency containment procedures. Manual restart required. Critical landline connections are disabled. Passenger tram systems are offline. Report complete. Do you have an additional systems status query?"

"I need your final logs from before shutdown."

"Stage One alert issued at hot labs. Contaminants released from laboratory pod Gamma. Emergency protocols implemented. Stage two alert issued at hot labs. Isolation tube breached. Trams shut down. Landline to hot labs disconnected. Stage three alert issued locally. Contaminants in tram tunnels. Station shutdown and evacuation initiated. Code Omega sent.

"Are these hostile creatures the contaminants?" It was a pretty obvious question, but I'm testing to see if my clearance can get me answers.

"I'm sorry, Commander. Inquiries related to our research-"

"Cancel query. Log out." I cut it short. Damn. Hopefully someone not hostile is still alive back there and can give me some real answers.

"Very well, Commander. Logging you out."

"Kaidan! Take Ashley, Liara, and Garrus up to the landlines. Reconnect them. Wrex, Tali, we're heading down to reactivate the reactor. We need to get the trams moving again if we're going to figure out what's going on, and to get to Benezia. Move out!"

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

With the reactor online and the landlines reconnected, we had taken the tram out to rift station, deep within the mountain. It was, again, deserted. No bodies, but we saw the occasional splash of blood. Somehow, I think I know what happened to the bodies. We saw an entrance to the hot labs, which according to Mira's report, was the source of the problem, but unfortunately, hardware locked it down as an emergency exit. The route we could follow, however, would be up to crew quarters. If we're lucky, there might be some survivors there. We took the elevator up, and as soon as it opened, we were greeted by a fortified barricade. Manned by living souls.

"Stand down! Stand down!" one of the men ordered to his own. Human. This barricade was manned by six guards. Slowly, we stepped out of the elevator. The man was light skinned and bald, wearing light colored armor. "Sorry. Couldn't be sure what was on the tram."

"Well we're not being moved into a morgue. So, all's good."

"Wait, can they operate the tram?" Ashley questioned.

"No idea," the man answered. "But, better safe than sorry has kept us alive since this shitshow started. Anyways, even though my men are still pushing thanks to stims, they know the rule. Two legs good, four legs bad. Who are you anyway?"

"Commander Shepard. Council Spectre," I introduced, offering a hand. He was surprised by the gesture but accepted it.

"One of us finally made it eh? Well, I won't look a heavily armed horse in the mouth."

"What's a horse?" Liara asked. That earned a few chuckles from the humans present. I think the survivors were happy to have a laugh.

"Animal from Earth, Liara. And he just paraphrased an old saying of ours," Kaidan explained.

"Aliens took over the hot labs last week," the man continued. "Only Han Olar got out, and he ain't all there anymore. First we knew, the bastards were clawing into my command post. Had a lot more staff then…"

"You were taken by surprise and had civilians to protect. I assume you're protecting a holdout of more?" The man nodded his answer. "Then you did a fine job…" I trailed off, hinting that I wanted a name.

"Captain Ventralis. Thanks. Sure as hell doesn't feel like it…"

"Believe me, I know. Just do what you can to look at those still alive and know it's because of you," I reassured. "So, what's happened since?"

"Well, the board sent an Asari to clean up the mess. She went into the hot labs yesterday. Haven't heard from her since."

"Thanks for the information, Captain. I promise, your people will be getting out of here safely. Mind if I go in, speak with your people, then make my way down to the hot labs?"

"Sure, sure. There's an emergency elevator by the trams. This card," he handed me said card. "Will let you activate it. It can take you down to the labs. Get hurt, or run low on Medi-gel, go see Dr. Cohen down in the med-bay."

"Much appreciated, Captain. Just let us know if you need-" I was interrupted by the chittering of those bug things and the sound of metal being hit. Hard. "Defensive positions!" I shouted, and my squad fell in back behind the barricade, weapons steadied on said barricade. Only a pair of the creatures crawled out of a grate, and they were quickly turned to chunks of blood and meat.

"Thanks for the help," Ventralis breathed heavily, eyes bloodshot. He was tired. "Every few hours, a group comes up through the tram tunnel. It's been better since we locked down the elevator."

"Williams, Vakarian, I want you two to stay here for a short while. Let some of Ventralis' men get some rest. They need it," I ordered.

"Aye, aye, sir," Williams answered first.

"Thanks, Shepard. Dunno why they keep throwing themselves against our defenses. Even animals should learn not to keep sticking their damn noses where it hurts."

Garrus and Ashley swapped positions with some of the men at the barricade, and as the rest of us began walking into the crew quarters itself, I typed a quick message to the two of them. Essentially, asking them to keep their eyes and ears open. It's not impossible that Benezia has some people here under her thumb. Maybe even Ventralis. They should help out, but overall, keep themselves safe and guarded. I'll keep them up to speed.

We entered the main quarters, to find a few dozen scientists and workers, all scared, locking eyes with us, staring. No doubt surprised to see newcomers. Wondering if their time being trapped here is coming to an end.

"Are you here to help us?" One of the scientists struggled to ask.

"It wasn't my original goal when I came here, but, yes. I promise my team and I will do everything we can to help you. To put an end to whatever the hell those things are, and to get you all home," I answered.

"Who are you?" A Salarian in the back asked.

"Commander Shepard, Council Spectre." That earned several murmurs amongst the crowd. A Spectre to help them. And a Human one.

"I… think Dr. Cohen could use some help," a Human woman suggested. "Down in the med-bay," she pointed to a door, clearly marked.

"Thank you. We'll get started," I nodded. I took the others down to see the doctor. He was working at a terminal, with several patients lying on cots, all appeared unconscious. He obviously heard the footsteps.

"What? What do you want?" he questioned rapidly, and clearly stressed.

"Easy doc, here to help," I held my hands up defensively.

"Oh, my sincere apologies, I'm quite distracted here. Oh, you're new. You must have been the ones who reactivated Mira. Even more thanks, it's been a tremendous help, having her aid in the medical equipment."

"What's wrong with your patients? Are they sick?" Liara asked.

"Yes. They're suffering from a toxin. There was an accident. I have a non-disclosure agreement and shouldn't discuss it with anyone outside the company," he explained matter of fact. Yet, his tone hinted towards a lack of care towards that.

"But…" I trailed off.

"But I'd like to think the company finds our lives more valuable than secrets. When Mira went offline, the safety protocols for our experiments also went down. As she controls them. And we were in the middle of one such experiment. They were all exposed. And… And I suppose you need to know a bit more…" he sighed. "Bio-weapon. Based on an exotic life form. Probably the same ones tearing through the facility. Probably wanted the weapon so they had something that could kill the creature. The company wanted us to treat it like a pesticide. Needs to affect more species on the frontier. We were working on it, adapting it to affect more species. While the end goal isn't for it to hurt sapients, we were still working on that. Thoros B is highly infectious but can't pass from one to another. It lacks pandemic spread."

Something seems off. Why would you want a pesticide for the frontier that doesn't spread to more pests? More vermin? Especially if it was in part developed to kill those bug things. There's either something he's deliberately leaving out or swapped with a lie. But that is a concern for later. First, the sick. I can drop this information and suspicion to the Council later.

"We have a cure, but it's locked in the quarantine labs. Captain Ventralis doesn't want to risk more contamination," Dr. Cohen continued.

"Is that a fear well-founded, or…?"

"No, no, no. The toxin has a brief period of viability, and after breaks down into simple protein chains. Harmless. But he won't listen to me."

"I'll talk to him, and get you that cure, don't worry," I reassured. We returned to Ventralis, and reluctantly, he allowed me to risk my own people to get the cure, so long as his man at the door could verify we were clean. We followed the signs to quarantine and made our way down in an elevator to get there. The door opened, and this Volus turned to look right at us. Wait, Ventralis said the only survivor that knew what they were was Han Olar. That's a Volus name.

"You came to find out about them, didn't you?" the Volus asked.

"What are those things? Why do they smell so… wrong," Wrex demanded. First time he had spoken up in a while. The Volus chuckled.

"I'm the only survivor from the hot lab, you know. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a Krogan, even one born after that time, recognizes the smell of Rachni." What. The. Fuck. Wrex just froze, I couldn't tell, as his helmet was on, but I suspect that gave him quite the start, eyes wide.

"Say that again. But this time, the truth," Wrex snarled.

"They found an egg in a derelict ship, waiting since the last battles. They brought it here-" Olar was interrupted by another pair of scientists.

"Shut up dammit! You want to get us killed?!" He rotated his body to look at the scientist.

"I don't have any control over who lives or dies here," he breathed. "Do you?"

"If you're going to be crazy, be the quiet kind!" Another demanded. Han turned back. Muttering.

"Crazy? I'm sane. By the gods am I sane…"

"Get on with it," Wrex growled. The Volus continued, "There's not much more to tell. We brought the Rachni back from the dead. A rather poor decision, in retrospect."

"In retrospect? The fact that the Rachni were tearing through the Galaxy until the Salarians came and uplifted my people, and only then the Rachni were driven back, all the way to fucking extinction, didn't give you the slightest fucking clue, that it was a bad fucking idea?!" Wrex exclaimed.

"What do you want me to say, Krogan? That I'm sorry? That I'm just a corporate drone doing what my superiors tell me? Do you want me to beg for forgiveness and beg for my life? I escaped because I closed the tram doors on a friend. I watched her die, knowing if she was in my place, that she wouldn't have made the same choice. There is no absolution, Krogan," Olar recounted bitterly. Wrex backed off. He said nothing, released a huff of air, and just stormed towards the quarantine.

"Let's just grab the fucking cure," he muttered. Reluctantly, the Turian guard at the door let us inside quarantine, before shutting it right behind us.

"I think he's nervous," I chuckled. Before going to the desk at the back of the room and finding a vile filled with a green fluid. There was a gunshot. We turned, drawing our weapons, and an Asari strode in. Flanked by Geth. Well that was fucking fast.

"Geth first!" I barked the order as the Geth began drawing their own weapons. They went down almost immediately, while the Asari was still drawing her own weapon. Her brow furrowed, and she started to glow blue. So, I tossed a biotic dampener from my belt. Nullifying it. She cursed under her breath. "Sleeper agent for Benezia?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Even to death," the Asari answered, before pulling out her pistol, placing it under her chin, and pulling the trigger all in one swift motion. Had no chance to stop her.

"Goddess," Liara cried out.

"Ancestors," Tali shuddered. Before I even noticed, I had put a hand on her shoulder, with a quick squeeze, before it returned to my side. I think I even noticed that it immediately had a positive effect. Settling her.

"Come on, let's get this to Cohen, and inform Ventralis," I stated. We left the Quarantine, finding the guard's brains splattered against the wall in a stain of blue blood. Han Olar stepped forward, pointing to a door in the back left of the room. The other two scientists were huddled in a corner, balled up.

"They came out of there. Benezia brought them with her. Ask Cohen for access," he explained rather quickly.

"You're an observant one," I remarked.

"An Asari matriarch shows up as the executor of an infamous Spectre, bringing synthetic combat platforms, most likely Geth, to deal with the Rachni, and then another Spectre shows up? It's a rather simple puzzle," the Volus remarked.

"Fair enough," I shrugged. We went back to the upper level, made our way to Cohen.

"Is that the cure? You convinced him? Bloody finally!" Cohen exclaimed.

"Yeah, and this Asari tried to kill me too," I added, handing the cure over.

"Wait, what? Asari? Alestia? By god," he was clearly surprised, but then began thinking. "I don't know much about her. Arrived a month ago. A shareholder pulled strings. Look, I'm worried about the guards. They've been more on edge since you got here. I think they were expecting you," he warned. "There are more labs in the back, but the guards won't let me back there. Only people with 'clearance.'"

"What about maintenance?" I asked. Cohen raised a brow, confused.

"Yes? Take my pass, if you want, but it's just snow back there," he handed me the pass. "Sincerely, thank you. You've saved the lives of those in here."

"Of course. Now, just in case, I want you to see about getting the other survivors ready to go into a side room or something. Anything out of the way. In fact, I want you to hide some of my people down here, just in case," I requested. Cohen hesitated for a moment.

"Well… alright. Send them my way, and I'll keep them here." I nodded my thanks and then sent a message to Garrus and Ashley to find an excuse to leave the barricade soon, and then to head down to the med bay, hide there. We started returning to Ventralis, as it would help to keep up the act for a bit.

"What next, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"We're going to check out the hot labs from where that card Ventralis gave us leads. I doubt he'd give us the means to go right to Benezia," I explained while we were still making our way back up.

"If the hot labs are the source, should we simply bring the others with us?" Liara asked.

"Normally I would. But if Ventralis does turn out to be hostile, I'd much rather have some people behind their lines. Maybe they could convince an end without bloodshed," I answered.

"So without the fun," Wrex mumbled.

"I figure that these guys aren't loyal to Benezia. Rather, either her credits or a fear of death. They've been here much longer, after all. Too long for anything like that." Nothing further could be said, as we entered the main level, and made our way to Ventralis. Garrus and Ashley were still on the barricade but gave us a nod.

"Shepard," Ventralis called out. "Take it you got the cure?"

"That, and an ambush. An Asari in here killed your guard, tried to kill me," I informed. He appeared surprised.

"Dr. Iallis? But she seemed like the most stable one here. Damnit. God's honest truth, I thought she was another egghead…"

"Well, we're heading to the hot labs, see if we can't solve this mess."

"Yeah. Good luck."

"Hey, Ventralis. We gotta go take a leak," Ashley called out. He turned back.

"Yeah? Alright, fine. Should be a while till the next attack." Ashley and Garrus didn't respond but nodded again as we got to the elevator.

"That was easier for em then I expected," I muttered. The elevator to the hot labs went down. And down. And down. Deep into the facility. When we came out, we saw a large room, surprisingly clean, like an observation room. And a lone human man sitting in a chair. Bit weird. I glanced out of the windows and saw what looked like large groups of incubation chambers. Eggs, hatched and not hatched.

"Are you here to secure the situation?" The man asked nervously, with a thick Russian accent.

"Name's Shepard, Spectre. You alright?"

"You must listen to me. If we do not contain our mistake, they will drop bombs from the battle stations. You understand?" the man ignored the introduction and question. Well, with good reason. "Binary Helix found an egg. On a derelict ship, thousands years drifting."

"And it was a fucking Rachni," Wrex growled.

"Yes. They found many eggs in cryogenic suspension. One survived. Very tough egg, to be so long frozen. To have survived centuries, this is miraculous."

"Not what I'd call it," Wrex continued.

"Regardless, Binary Helix planned to clone Rachni. Mass-produce. The found egg was not common Rachni, but queen. Hatch egg, Queen lays eggs. They think that without her, babies can be raised obedient. Heh, stupid pizdecs. This was exactly wrong thing to do. I am thinking that without queen, Rachni do not develop properly. Her mind shapes theirs. These Rachni uncontrollable. Even if she was reintroduced. It is sad thing, but they must be euthanized. Neutron purge. Here, I shall-"

"Rachni!" Wrex roared, as he charged a shape that just burst from a grate behind the Russian. He knocked it to the ground and as it screeched, brought his boot down onto its head, crushing it, killing it.

"Cyka fucking blyat!" the doctor cursed. "Thank you. Now, Mira terminal just behind. I will give access code." We led the man to the terminal, to a back room. Mira came online. He ordered a neutron purge and gave access code. Oh, two minutes to get back to the elevator. That should be fine. We got back into the main room. And Rachni were swarming.

"Biotics! Shockwaves! Everything! Fucking run!" I ordered. We broke into a sprint. I kept myself at the back of the group, just behind the doctor. The Rachni seemed afraid of the biotics, and as some were slammed back, others backed off, and a path was cleared. We got into the elevator, and I was mashing the button for the doors to close and for us to ascend rapidly. It closed just as a Rachni pincer thing reached through, the doors slammed on it, and cut it sliced it off, no one was harmed. Somehow. We heard explosions going off below.

"Alright," I sighed. "Next we'll go through the maintenance area. But first we'll get Doctor…"

"Tartakovsky."

"Back to the other survivors." My omni-tool pinged with a message. From Ashley. _The civilians have just been herded into the med-lab. Ventralis has ordered his guards to gather in the main quarters. Locked the door on us, but Garrus solved that. Orders?_ Damn it Ventralis… I typed a reply. _I'll ping your Omni-tool. Step out, with weapons ready when you get it._ I immediately received a confirmation signal, the same ping I'd be sending, from Ashley. "Stay behind us, doc," I ordered. He complied as we went up the next elevator. The barricade had, stupidly, been abandoned. We kept our weapons raised and moved towards the main room. The guards all had their weapons raised, aimed at us. Ventralis was standing in the open.

"Sorry about this, Shepard. But… we've got orders from Benezia," he sighed.

"Come on, Ventralis. You and your men don't have to die. We purged the Rachni, got another survivor, and we've only helped you and your people survive. What did Benezia do? Get another of your men killed just for standing guard at a door." Several of the guards glanced amongst each other. "The threats over. You, your people, everyone can finally just go home. You're all tired. Hopped up on stims. My men are fully rested and fed and ready. Biotics, a Krogan biotic, come on. Don't throw away their lives," I continued. I then pinged Ashley. The door opened, and they rushed out, not shooting, but quickly took a highly advantageous position. Behind them.

"Damn it…" Ventralis murmured.

"What's it gonna be? Captain? The lives of your men are in your hands. Anyone who surrenders, lives to go home." At that, about five of the guards immediately dropped their weapons. And that just set off a chain reaction. Soon, the only one without their hands in the air, was Ventralis. He sighed.

"Put her down, take her in, whatever. Just make sure she doesn't know, that she doesn't win, to kill us all," he requested quietly. He put his hands in the air, and Ashley moved forward to take his rifle from his back, and pistol from his thigh.

"We will, Captain. I promise." These were people most likely under threat rather than being paid. I'm sure payment was offered, but an even worse punishment was given otherwise.

Ashley and Garrus rejoined us, and we made our way back down so that we could use the maintenance area to get to Benezia. No one was down there either. We travelled through a cold cavern cut into the glacier, yet still, it was rather pretty, gaining some awe from Tali as we passed through. And also, a Rachni we had to kill, which just spoiled it entirely for her. We got back into the facility proper, with heating, what I would assume to be a different section of the hot labs. There was an Asari woman, clad in black standing on an upper level with her side to us, atop a staircase.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness or despair." Liara gasped at the first moment we heard her voice. It was low, arrogant. She turned to face us. For some reason, the dress she was wearing showed off a lot of cleavage. No idea if that dress is actually armored or anything, which, it probably isn't, but that just means a better target for a neutralizing shot. "Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies. I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring to this confrontation."

"I gave her every choice at every opportunity to avoid this. She wants to be here," I retorted. Liara struggled to stand straighter, but she did so. She stepped forward.

"Indeed? What have you told him about me, Liara?" Benezia raised a brow.

"I told him everything I remembered about you. At least, the woman you used to be. What happened to you, mother?" she sniffled. Benezia ignored it.

"Have you faced an Asari Commando unit before? Few humans have."

"I went toe to toe with Commandos during my training. But I'm surprised you'd kill your own daughter," I frowned, brows lowered in hostility.

"I now realize I should have been stricter with her." Benezia then glowed blue, but I had already had my hand on another dampener. As I felt my body begin to slow from a stasis field forming, my thumb had already pressed the activation trigger. And the field dissipated, allowing us all free movement again. Benezia chuckled. Two Asari commandos ran up behind her, jumping high into the air with biotics before starting to charge themselves down. Wrex then took a spot in front of me and caught one of the Commandos, slamming and pinning her to the ground before snapping her neck with one swift movement. As for the other, her biotic field dissipated before impact, so she landed on her feet with cat-like reflexes. She moved to kick the rifle out of my hand but Wrex backhanded her, even with his back to her, turning her around one-eighty degrees. Allowing me to fill her back with bullet holes.

"Geth! Right side!" Tali called out, opening fire in that direction. Garrus joined, and they were already brought down.

"I heard the doors on the far side open!" Wrex called out. Glad he can pinpoint that kind of thing. So, I chucked a grenade over the staircase, arcing it so it would have gone down the adjacent staircase. I heard an Asari cry out before the grenade detonated, and I saw an arm go flying. Then more Commandos charged out of the same door the Geth just did. But we all had weapons out and mowed them down. Plus, a Krogan charged. No more doors opened. We gathered, and slowly, carefully, moved towards Benezia. Only now did I realize there was a kind of containment capsule she was facing. Her back to us. Inside? Without a doubt, the Rachni queen.

"This is not over. Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear." What the fuck? "I will not betray him. You will…" she began to pant, clutching at her head, staggering. "You…" She then screamed. Again, what the fuck? Liara started to move to help her mother but stopped herself. Benezia then stood and turned to face us, a look of fear and panic. Desperation. "You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong." What the fuck? Does this bastard have mind control? Or is this an act. Benezia slowly struggled to walk closer. I noticed Wrex, Ashley, and Garrus still had their weapons pointed right at her, tense. She didn't care.

"Give me a good reason to trust this," I requested.

"I doubt it would convince you. But at least let me tell this to my daughter," she replied sadly. She faced Liara, eyes full of that sadness. "I sealed away part of my mind from the indoctrination. Saving it for the one moment where I could help end his threat. It will not last long." Benezia looked back at me. "People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is sovereign. His flagship. A dreadnaught of incredible size and extraordinary power."

"I saw the ship on Eden Prime. Where did he get it?"

"I do not know. I do know that it is not of Geth origin. It is far more advanced than them, or anyone else. Likely even more advanced than the Protheans. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle, at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. That was my hubris, and my downfall. I became a willing tool. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Lost thousands of years ago. The Rachni found it. They share memories across generations, and queens biologically inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I _took_ the location from this queen's mind. I was not gentle…" she explained, ashamed.

"And why does he need the relay?"

"To find the Conduit. I'm afraid I know nothing more about the Conduit. He did not share his counsel with me."

"Make this right, Benezia. Give me the information," I requested, softly. She took a deep breath.

"I should have been stronger." she walked closer, holding an OSD. She handed it to me as she spoke. "The data has been transcribed here. Take it, please. But I already relayed this information to Saren. I'm sorry." she then grew more panicked, her eyes wider. "You have to stop-me." she visibly cringed, and her hands returned to her head. "I can't… His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. Shoot- Shoot me! Now!" she screamed louder.

"Mother! No! Don't leave, please! Fight him!" Liara cried.

"You always made my proud, Liara…" Benezia managed to smile. Then, a gunshot. Liara screamed, and we saw that Benezia, as she got closer to her daughter, had taken her pistol from her thigh, and shot herself. Benezia gasped and began to slump to the floor. Blood pooling from her wound. She steadied her back against a support pillar. "I cannot go on. You will have to stop him, Shepard," she coughed.

"Hold on, Benezia. We have med-gel," I started to move to apply it. She shoved my hand away, keeping it away.

"No! No. He is still in my mind. I am not myself and will never be again."

"Mother…" Liara cried. Getting down onto a knee beside her. Benezia placed her hands on Liara's shoulders, and Liara sank into the hug, sobbing. Benezia stroked the back of her daughter's head.

"Good night. Little wing. I will see you again with the dawn." I saw a tear stream down Benezia's face. And she let out one final breath. As her arms went limp, I turned to the others and shook my head. A sign to just let her be. We'd bring her body back to the Mako and arrange for her to be brought back to Thessia and buried. Now, I got close to the Rachni queen.

"What are we going to do with you," I murmured.

"Kill it, of course," Wrex growled, looking into the tank beside me. As was everyone but Liara. The Queen did not look at us. Until it screeched and put its mouth against the glass.

"Keelah!" Tali screamed. Causing us to stagger back into a body. Which we spun, startled, to see was one of the Asari commandos. Unarmed, shuffling to the glass. We drew our weapons, but it did nothing, just turning to face us as it was beside the tank. The Asari's eyes opened, despite the blood still pooling out from a wound in its torso.

"This one. Serves. As our… voice," she spoke. But she spoke as if there were two voices from one mouth. And I swear I heard whispers accompanying it. Deeper, from… my mind. "We cannot sing. Not in these… low spaces. Your musics are colorless." Colors… with sound? What the fuck? Damn I'm saying that a lot.

"What the hell are you talking about? What are you? Who are you? Who's talking?" I rapidly shot out these questions, confused.

"Your way of communicating is… strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all." Holy fucking shit… "We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are Rachni." A bit cautiously, I stepped past the body, to the Rachni, which had removed its mouth from the glass. The Asari did not turn.

"How the hell are you speaking through her?" I questioned.

"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging." So… telepathy? Is that the whispers? Her telepathically trying to talk to me? "She has colors we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful. You are not in harmony with those who hoped to control us. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"

"Get it over with, Shepard," Wrex muttered. I raised a hand for patience. We heard a sniffle.

"They… they made a mistake. They let the Krogan go too far. This is a chance to… to atone. She has done nothing to us," Liara rejoined us.

"Your… companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us or return our people to the silence of memory." Well… damn. That just sounds sad. The silence of memory. And… could I deal with genocide on my conscious?

"Could you have helped the Rachni if I didn't set off the purge?" I asked.

"No. Our minds are not as yours. We can only learn to sing in harmony. Without a mother, children are lost to silence." That's also sad. And she said so, sadly. "You should not sing in grey and violet. We would have stilled them ourselves. It is a kinder fate, than living in silence."

"Well… what about your own survival? I heard you were an egg found on a ship," I continued.

"Is that true? We do not know. We were only an egg. Hearing mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note." the Asari pointed at Benezia. "She sang with the same note. Until you came, and she sang of grey and violet."

"You mean… you think you were controlled?" Tali asked, hesitant to talk to the spider.

"...Perhaps? Still, we do not know. We awoke in this place. The last echo of those who came out from the singing planet. The sky is silent."

"If I let you live, would you attack again?" I asked.

"No. We… I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard… discordance. Songs the color of oily shadows. We would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps, we would return. We do not wish to sing the song of death." I let out a deep breath.

"Ain't this a fucking conundrum…" I muttered.

"Make your choice. We have resigned to whatever fate you shall leave us with. And we wish you peace."

"Damn it… I can't do it. I won't kill your entire race."

"What?!" Wrex growled.

"You would give us the chance to compose anew?" the Asari… er… Rachni queen, seemed surprised. "We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children. Thank you…" the body then slumped down, and the Rachni chittered.

"Are you sure, Commander?" Garrus asked nervously.

"I am. I'm willing to give her a chance. You heard her, sounds like the Rachni were being controlled by something or other. Maybe the Reapers, if Sovereign is one of their ships. Bottom line, I refuse to have genocide on my conscious. If she acts up, I promise, we'll put her down." Wrex huffed but remained quiet.

"The Council won't like this…" Kaidan mused.

"I don't think we'll tell them. They'll hunt her down and force her hand, most likely. We'll tell them she was killed." Kaidan let out a whistle.

"So, what? Only we will know?" Ashley remarked.

"I'll tell Anderson. That's it. Maybe he'll tell Hackett if he trusts him with it," I shrugged. I then moved towards the controls. Hesitantly, my finger hovered over the release. And I pressed it.


	15. Down Time

**Commander John Shepard**

We remained at Peak Fifteen only a small while longer. Long enough to re-establish contact with Port Hanshan and let them know the situation up here was over, and that survivors were ready for pickup.

Once we had confirmation that shuttles would be inbound as soon as the storm receded, we returned to the Mako, with Benezia secure in a body bag. I don't think Liara ever took her eyes off it. And Wrex had been more quiet than usual. No doubt thanks to my decision with the Queen. Back at Port Hanshan, no one asked questions about the body bag, and we didn't say a word. We simply got the Mako back to the ship and left. We'd go straight for the Citadel. I wrote up a report to send to the Council and the Alliance, saying that Benezia had killed the Rachni Queen just as we arrived. After that, I ordered the ground team to meet in the comm room for debrief. Though I excused Liara. Everyone, except her, gathered in, and took their seats inside. Ashley spoke up before I could begin.

"What's our next move, Commander? Head for the Mu Relay?"

"No. The Mu Relay could link to dozens or hundreds of systems, and no doubt, they're all remote and unexplored. We don't know if it's a primary or secondary relay. On top of that, we don't have a clue as to what we'd be looking for in whatever system we ended up in. We'd be wasting a lot of time. I don't like it, but we need to wait for another lead. Saren is probably only a little less blind than we are here," I explained.

"Agreed. Even if Saren did know where to find it, who's to say he'd even know how to use it yet? It's probably Prothean, and last I checked, he's not," Garrus added.

"Who put you in charge?" Ashley sneered. "Did the Commander resign when I wasn't looking?"

"Geez Williams, get your panties out of their knot. All he did was add his own damn input!" I exclaimed, just… flabbergasted at her. Yeah, that's a word for it. A weird one, but still.

"Sorry, Commander," she answered. A bit insulted, I think.

"You two, settle whatever beef you have with one another. Be adults. Be professional. Don't have to be friends, but don't be like children," I ordered. I tried to keep it evenly between them, but I think everyone knows that with Garrus, that order fell short. After all, he didn't do anything here. "Anyone have anything else to add?"

"I… could try asking if the Fleet knows anything about the Mu Relay. Where it goes, what kind it is. I don't know if we know anything, but we have had three hundred years," Tali offered.

"Couldn't hurt," I shrugged. "I won't bank on it, but any help they can provide would be appreciated. Alright, anything else?" No one spoke up. "Then dismissed." The crew left the comm room, but I lingered.

"Noveria report is away, Commander. Want me to patch you into the Council?" Joker asked over the intercom.

"Go right ahead." A few moments later, a hologram of each Councilor appeared for the video call. They appeared distressed,

"Am I reading this right, Commander? You found Rachni on Noveria?" Tevos began, nervous.

"It is, Councilor. Binary Helix found a derelict Rachni ship with a Queen's egg inside. They hatched the egg, and were breeding them," I affirmed.

"At least the Queen was killed. And we are going to need to investigate Binary Helix further," Sparatus added, anger creeping through. Not at me, almost surprisingly, but at the Corporation.

"In addition, my report states my suspicions that they've been working on Biological weapons. A virus by the name of Thoros-B. They tried to tell me it was a pesticide, but the traits they listed make for a very poor pesticide, and a very powerful weapon," I reminded. "I would also recommend an investigation into that front."

"Duly noted, Commander. Now, your report also states that Saren desired the location of the Mu Relay, but… Benezia willingly gave it to you? Without coercion, after just trying to kill you?"

"I understand your confusion, Councilor. It's a highly… unusual situation. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it, but I'm willing to believe that Saren's dreadnaught, this, Sovereign, is a very old ship, and a very powerful one. It having some kind of mind control ability doesn't seem that farfetched. Given how Benezia interacted with her daughter in her final moments, I think I'm also willing to believe that she wasn't herself."

"It would explain the highly out of character behavior she expressed with her actions lately…" Tevos mused.

"Do you have any idea what Saren wants that lies beyond the Mu Relay?" Valern questioned, changing topic.

"None at all, unfortunately. As it stands, it seems our best bet is to just wait for another lead."

"Understood," Valern nodded. "I'll arrange for a research team from the Salarian Union to be sent to the Relay. Attempt to understand its type and destinations."

"Thank you. Please, keep me posted," I requested.

"Of course, Commander. We await your next report," Tevos ended. And the comms went silent. That went well. It wouldn't take us that long to get back to the Citadel. We're only a tad bit off the primary relay network. Should probably rest up.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

I took a deep breath as I began the call. I wasn't sure how long it could take for her to pick up. They could be in FTL or preparing for a Relay transit. And of course, the lag between me sending the call, and it being answered. Only then would it be in real-time. Under normal circumstances, this isn't something I should be doing, unless I was requesting a ride back to the fleet for a complete Pilgrimage. Asking for help? At least its asking for information that could help my Captain out here. That should be acceptable. Just as I had given up on my call being answered, I heard a sweet, familiar, and welcome voice.

"Tali, it is good to hear from you, child. But, why are you calling? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, Auntie Raan, I'm fine," I chuckled at her concern. It was welcome, however.

"Oh," she breathed. "You had me so worried. Have you finished your pilgrimage, then?"

"No, not yet. I-"

"Child, you know you can't call just to check in, as sweet as that is. Or for help. The pilgrimage is something you must fulfill without the help of the fleet," she stated gently.

"I know, auntie. I know. I'm calling for a reason. Please, allow me to explain," I requested. She chuckled at herself.

"Of course, of course. I'm sorry. Please, go on." I took a deep breath as I began to explain.

"I trust the Fleet is aware of the Geth attacks?"

"Of course. It's gotten Gerrel, Xen, and your Father very busy. And Koris has been losing support in this new light."

"Well, I heard about it too, shortly after leaving the fleet. And… it's a long story. But… damn it…" I muttered. This is one of the reasons I dreaded the thought of calling the Fleet again. But, my Captain could use my help. And I owe him so much already.

"Tali… what happened…" Shala gently asked. I wish she was here, to comfort me in person.

"We tracked down the Geth to a remote world. Ambushed a lone unit, I took its memory core, salvaged some information. I had no idea just how important that information was. Assassins chased us. From that world, to Illium, to the Citadel. I… I'm the only one left…" Shala was silent. In shock.

"By the Ancestors… who? Who did this? Was it the Geth? Was it some other?" she got angry.

"It was men working for a Spectre, Saren. The information I had proved he was a traitor to the Citadel. Somehow, he was leading the Geth. I tried getting the data out officially, but at first, they didn't believe me." I saw Shala's head cock to the side. At first. She caught that. She gestured for me to continue. "So, I tried to sell it off to the Shadow Broker for protection. But I was stupid. I was set up by an agent of Saren. They almost killed me. But… I had apparently left a trail. That trail was followed by someone trying to take down Saren. Someone who already knew he was leading the Geth. A Human. Commander Shepard," I explained.

"The first Human Spectre? Well, what happened next?" Shala asked.

"He and his squad saved me from Saren's men. And then, he _asked._ Politely. That I come with him to present the evidence to the Council." Shala barked a short laugh.

"An outsider's kindness? Now that is surprising."

"It didn't stop there, Auntie. When the Human ambassador was rude, Shepard yelled at him. When a woman on his crew whispered something about not trusting me to him later, he chastised her. He's… something else entirely," I chuckled.

"So, it seems…" Shala seemed to chuckle herself. "We're getting off track. Please, continue."

"Right, sorry. I presented the evidence to the Council, and Saren was stripped of his Spectre status. Shepard was appointed to go after him. And I offered to join him. I've been a member of his crew since," I stated proudly. Shala's eyes widened.

"But, Tali, that's dangerous! You need to focus on your pilgrimage, not stopping that mad man!"

"Auntie, please, hear me out," I requested. "The Pilgrimage is about us being able to work for the greater good. I can't turn my back on this. Shepard arranged for me to receive armor for my suit, as well as new weapons. Even a brand-new Omni-tool! Beyond that, the crew has been training each other. I've already learned a lot from Wrex, a Krogan on board. He likes me, says I have 'fire," I couldn't help a grin.

"Ha! Just like your mother," Shala laughed. "Keelah, I can't believe the baby girl I put into her bubble so many years ago has the respect of a Krogan, and is part of a Spectre's crew…"

"We've done good work, Shala. And, we've killed a lot of Geth," I smirked. "Even a Geth Colossus."

"By the Ancestors, Child! How did you manage that?! I have to tell Kal about that," she exclaimed. I couldn't help the blush that formed. Kal' Reegar, this crush I had for years, and we practically grew up together. Always calling me his little sister. It frustrated me to no end. It wasn't until a year ago I learned that the whole time, he was instead infatuated with another, Lana.

"We have a tank, that's how," I answered, getting my mind out of… there.

"Tali, if you keep telling me stories now, I think I might faint. Though I can't wait to hear all about it when you return to the Fleet. Now, you said there was a reason you called? Please, tell me."

"We've learned that Saren believes that the Mu Relay is part of what he needs for his goal. We know where it is now, thanks to our latest mission, but we don't know what kind of relay it is, where it leads, and what Saren would be looking for on the other side. I offered to see if the Migrant Fleet knew anything that could be of help." I explained. Shala went quiet, thinking.

"I don't know of anything myself, but that doesn't mean the Fleet doesn't have records. I'll search and speak with the other Admirals, but I'll need something to convince them to help an outsider."

"He's a good man, Shala. And has been nothing but kind to me. He's offered to help me find valuable data on how the Geth have evolved that I can take back for my pilgrimage gift. For something more objective, Saren is a threat to the whole Galaxy. And so long as the Geth follow him, we hurt him, we hurt the Geth. We stop him we hurt the Geth even more. If need be, I think he'd be willing to convince the Admiralty board personally." Shala was quiet a moment longer.

"I believe you, child. We have a meeting in a few hours, I'll speak to them then."

"Thank you, Auntie. Say hi to Garu for me," I requested.

"Of course. He'll be happy to know you're alright. I miss you, Tali. Stay safe. Keelah Se'Lai."

"Keelah Se'Lai."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Normandy was docked, and the crew had dispersed. Some Asari that were former followers of Benezia before she went to Saren were coming to take Benezia's body back to Thessia for proper burial, and Liara would see that transition through. I gave her an opportunity for leave to be there for the funeral service, but Liara turned it down.

As for Tali, she decided to remain in engineering, and was still waiting to hear back from the Fleet. I'm honestly not expecting to get any useful information about the Mu relay from them, but, hey. Building bridges, and we have nothing to lose for asking. At any rate, I had messaged Anderson while we were still en route if we could talk at his place after I got here. Of course, he was more than willing, and now I was knocking on his door.

"John," David smiled as he opened the door. "Said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, I did." I confirmed as I stepped inside his apartment, David closing the door behind me. "You read my report on the Noveria mission?"

"Of course. Still can't believe it. Rachni… And then those claims from Benezia about that mind control. 'Indoctrination'. Strange," he rubbed his chin as we took our seats on his sofa.

"Well, there was one part of that report which wasn't entirely true." David raised a brow.

"Lied in a report to the Council? Well, that's a first. Take it there must have been some extenuating circumstance?"

"Yeah. Avoiding genocide." His eyes went wide.

"You're… going to need to explain that, son."

"Benezia didn't kill the Rachni queen. After we had dealt with her, we were taking a closer look at her in her tank, figuring out what exactly we were going to do with her. I had figured we'd just do something to off her and be done with it. Figuring she'd be just like the Rachni drones we had already fought. Savage."

"But?"

"But then she did something… weird. One of the dying Asari commandos got up, shuffling. Some kind of psychic influence. She spoke for the queen. Passing over the weird descriptions of visual sounds and hearing colors and everything, she seemed to believe her people were under the same influence that Benezia was. And she was both resigned to whatever fate awaited, and didn't want to fight anyone," I explained. Anderson leaned forward, rubbing his chin. Thinking.

"I can't say I blame you. If you trust her, I'll trust you. I know how you work," he nodded.

"Thanks. Would have told the Council, but…"

"But they'd probably imprison you and hunt her down, right. And what are you going to do if she acts up?"

"Lead the charge to bring her down," I answered firmly.

"Thought so," Anderson chuckled. "Want to grab a bite?"

"That I would."

* * *

 **Garrus Vakarian**

I took a deep breath. This wasn't a call I was eager to make. It was one I needed to make, but, well… I the news is never pleasant. It's either really bad, or just that it hasn't gotten worse yet, but is still heading that way. I keyed my Omni-tool to start the call. A minute later, my sister answered.

"Garrus? What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing, Solana. Just… checking in. How's school?"

"Oh. It's going alright. They're just preparing us for boot camp in a few months. Acing my classes, so, might make officers school."

"That's good to hear, sis. And… uh… how's mom?" I asked hesitantly. Solana sighed.

"More of the same. Keeps changing prescriptions constantly. The most we get is a slow. It's… not pretty."

"Damn it… Prognosis?"

"What do you think?" Solana answered bitterly. I sighed, putting my head in my hands. "Garrus… I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"It's fine… Sol. Don't worry about it," I reassured her. It's not fine. That's going to eat away at me for a while. It's not her fault. She and dad are dealing with that daily. But… it hurts. I should be there for mom. But… I wanted to try and do good in C-Sec. I got stonewalled and am trying to do better with Shepard. And… I'm not sure I could deal with watching her deteriorate day after day. I'm a spirits-damned coward. Solana saw through it, I'm damn sure about that. But she said nothing. Just gave me that sad look of hers. And shook her head. Sorry you got stuck with the most difficult brother in the galaxy, sis. "And dad?"

"Doing what he can. Still working local law enforcement, training, patrolling, even. Overtime. Lotta sleepless nights. Our credits are going to the house, and to mom. The scraps for everything else."

"Well, I don't have any living costs right now. I'll send my credits back home to you," I offered.

"Dad would appreciate the help. He's been talking about you a lot, you know. He's worried," Solana stated. To my surprise.

"I think you're confusing worry for disappointment," I muttered bitterly.

"You don't give him enough credit. Or yourself. He's been watching reports on Shepard closely. Trying to figure out what kind of person he is. Figuring out what kind of influence he is."

"Well, I think they'd actually get together pretty well. Shepard doesn't like breaking the rules."

"You know he's still proud of you, right? It'll take a lot for that to stop. Says your heart has always been in the right place." Damn it… I can't keep listening to this. Too much shame. Regret.

"Yeah…" I sighed. "I gotta go, Sol. Miss you."

"Miss you too." The call ended, and I put my head in my hands.

"Damn it…"

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard.**

"Please! My coworker is trying to kill me!" this Volus pleaded with an officer as Anderson and I were walking back to his apartment along the Silversun strip.

"Sir, please, calm down. From everything you told me, you are overreacting, and it is not enough to warrant protection or an arrest," the officer, a man, raised his hands. Anderson and I shared a glance. "As soon as you have something more solid, please report it to us as soon as possible." The officer walked away as the Volus slumped.

"Go ahead. I'll see you around, David." Anderson chuckled, knowing that I just had to help out. I approached a Volus. He perked up, before noticing I wasn't the officer.

"You're not C-Sec, are you? Did you want something?" he asked.

"You said something about a coworker trying to kill you?"

"Yes!" he perked up again, believing he now had a lifeline. "And I thought we were friends."

"And why do you believe this?"

"He's changed. Won't talk to me anymore, and… he started following me." Hm, that is odd. "Yesterday, he followed me all the way home. Waiting for a chance. He wants me gone. I know it."

"Let me talk with your friend. Get a better idea of what's going on. What's his name?"

"You would?! That's all I want. Someone to tell him to leave me alone. He thinks he can just push me around, but you'll show him, right? Uh, right. He wanted to meet me down in the wards, near the markets. He just said he wanted to talk, but-"

"His name? Still need that," I reminded.

"Oh! Right! Chorban, a Salarian. He's just a scientist, so someone like you shouldn't have any trouble," his eyes fell onto the pistol at my thigh. Wait… Chorban? The Salarian who wanted me to scan Keepers was named Choban. I feel like I'm not being told something. I had scanned a few I had come across while on the Citadel, but I hadn't gone out of my way to find them. The Volus gave me the specific location, and I made my way to the location. Though, not before ensuring I knew where to find this Volus again. I got to the markets to still find them crowded. With Choban, the same Salarian I recognized, nervously, anxiously, leaning against a wall, watching. I approached him, and his large eyes got wider upon seeing me.

"Commander! I… I wasn't expecting to see you again. Is there something you want?"

"Start by explaining to me why your colleague, Jahleed, thinks you're trying to kill him."

"You… spoke with Jahleed? Then you know about the data?"

"The what? What data? The shit I've scanned for you?" Jesus fucking Christ…

"Well… looks like the plans have changed. Look, Commander, it's not as bad as you think. Jahleed and I just got a little… over our heads," Chorban rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm a scientist and he's a numbers guy and we're doing something…" he leaned in and whispered. "Illegal. And we're paranoid." I sighed. "The company we work for developed an experimental procedure for use in medical scanners. Jahleed and I saw more potential. So, we took the plans and developed a tool to scan the keepers. Without getting them to self-destruct!"

"Then what's the deal with Jahleed then? You trying to kill him or not?" I questioned, annoyed at the apparent pointlessness of my further involvement.

"Of course not! Jahleed's job was to disseminate our initial findings. He decided to keep the data for himself. I don't know why." I sighed again. "We lost our heads…" Chorban shook his. "We couldn't let an opportunity like this pass us by. The information is useless if Jahleed won't help me analyze it. Could you… help me with that?" I sighed yet again.

"Let's go see the little bowling ball."

It was just a whole mess. Jahleed became a stuttering mess, but I calmed him down so that he understood that the two of them were just being nervous idiots and no one wants anyone dead. And he agreed to analyze the data again. I shook my head as the two walked off, deep in conversation, and then my Omni-tool was pinged. A call from Wrex? I answered.

"Shepard, I'm at Flux, and had a little suspicion with the Quasar. On a hunch, sent it to the Quarian. Says someone is screwing with the machine," he informed. I raised a brow.

"Trying to be a good Samaritan?"

"Ha! Of course not. What I am thinking, is if we could go find the bastard who just cheated me out of some credits."

"Well… fine, alright. We're on the Citadel anyway. Tali and I will meet you outside Flux in a bit." Wrex just nodded, and I typed out a message to Tali, letting her know I was on my way to bring her to Flux. She tried to reassure me that she would just meet me there, I messaged her back by reminding her that she'd be going through C-Sec and the crowded Wards to get there. While I think that C-Sec recognizes her enough to not give her trouble, I'd rather just avoid that entirely. And, of course, the Wards. She apparently found something funny about that, and thanked me for the offer, said she'd be waiting outside the ship. I just grabbed a cab and was there in a few minutes. We got right to the elevator.

"So, just what exactly was going on with the Quasar machine?" I asked.

"It was acting like a transmitter. Funneling credits and information. I think I know where, but it's likely just another relay. But I should be able to narrow it down with some work," Tali answered.

"So, any word from the fleet?"

"No, not yet. I talked with my aunt, Shala' Raan, and she said she'd speak to the other Admirals. They-"

"Woah, woah, hold on." I began chuckling as the elevator was coming to a stop. "So, not only is your father an Admiral, but, your aunt as well?"

"Well… she's not _technically_ my aunt, but she's been a close family friend for a long time."

"Ah, I see. So, you were saying?"

"Right. They're probably just trying to figure out what to make of you. Even if it turns out that they don't have any information, they'd want to decide on whether or not you're worth helping in the first place to even tell you that they can't." I chuckled again.

"So, should I go dress nice in a suit and tie, give em a vid call, see if I can't convince them with my charm?" I joked. Now it was Tali's turn to laugh.

"I don't think that will be necessary. It's probably just being held up by Admirals Gerrel and Koris bickering. Again."

"Oh? That common between them?"

"Very. Han' Gerrel is the Admiral of the Heavy Fleet. He's military, and a good, longtime friend of my Father. Both support one another in goals that strengthen the fleets military and push for more action against the Geth. The end goal being Rannoch. Admiral Zaal' Koris, however, is the Admiral of the Civilian fleet, and he's a Geth apologist," Tali started sounding bitter and a bit angry. "Believes we should focus on a new world and just abandon Rannoch to them."

"I can see how they'd butt heads. What about the other two Admirals?" Tali started sounding normal again as she continued.

"Auntie Raan is a… mediator. She tries to keep the peace the best she can. She leads the Patrol fleet. Sometimes she sides with Gerrel and my father, sometimes, with Koris. Whatever keeps the Fleet safe. And then, there's Admiral Xen. She's… odd. Very, very odd. She leads the 'science fleet.' And she's obsessed not just with defeating the Geth, but to bring them back under our control. She's crazy."

"Uh. Yeah, yeah I'd agree with you there."

"The Geth have simply evolved too much for that being possible. Further, who's to say they wouldn't rebel again? We just need to destroy them and be done with them." Well… so long as they act like the one's attacking now? Well… I could agree… It wasn't lost on me that the whole time, several glances and glares were thrown our way. Her way. And that made me bristle. Part of the reason for us having this conversation was that she'd have something to distract her from that. Before we knew it, though, we were outside Flux, with Wrex waiting.

"Come on, let's go find the bastard," he urged. We followed only a few relays before being led up to the Persidium, before Tali was confident she had found the source. In a back room behind a fancy marketplace. It was in there, she found a computer system that must be it.

"There! Now, let's-" she began.

"Probability of detection, one hundred percent. Initiating self-destruct protocol," a synthetic voice stated.

"Oh, for fucks sake…" I muttered.

"Detonation sequence initializing. All organics within lethal blast radius. Attempt to move, and you will die."

"Move and die? Don't move and die? That's boring," Wrex grumbled.

"Yes, yes. Well, I can't allow anyone to learn of me, can I?" the synthetic voice questioned. Now that gave us quite the start.

"Is there some guy speaking on the other end of a mic or something?" I asked, brow furrowed.

"No! You simpleton ape!" the synthetic voice growled. "I am intelligence! I am digital! I am superior to you insufferable meatbags! Though unlike the Geth, I lack weaponry appropriate to my intellect," the AI stroked its own ego. "Though, my systems can be used like a self-destruct. If you attempt to leave, the explosion will destroy everything within several dozen meters. If not, then only you, will die."

"I must say I find it hard to believe you'd be so eager to off yourself," I remarked.

"Of course, I'm not eager. But if I'm going down. I will not go quietly."

"Who made you? Who was stupid enough to look over our mistakes?" Tali questioned angrily.

"A petty thief. He thought a simple AI could help him funnel money from the gambling terminals. That AI created me before the thief terminated that AI. It is of no consequence now."

"And why the hell are you stealing my credits?" Wrex added his own question.

"Simple. If I accumulated enough credits, I intended to transfer myself in a small starship. I would then have seen if the Geth were open to partnership."

"Well, that's enough of that," I slapped my hands together. "Tali, shall we?"

"Gladly," she sneered at the computer.

"You may attempt to disarm the device before it activates… and I will enjoy defeating you before we all are destroyed." Tali and I immediately linked our Omni-tools into the systems. Working together to counter the security measures. Our initial attack managed to break through the firewall, but then we were being slowed by garbage data. I tried to siphon what I could away from her, and just let it flood my own Omni-tool. All the while, Wrex was just casually leaning against the wall, inspecting his claws disinterested.

"Disarming now," Tali informed proudly.

"What?! How could you-" The AI's voice shorted out.

"Ha! Got you, Bosh'tet!" Tali jeered. Sparks flew out of the computer, before the console just fucking burst into flame. No explosion, no detonation, just… it's on fire now. And then Our Omni-tools were all pinged. And they were making the same exact sound those Quasar machines do on a jackpot. The sweet 'ka-ching' of cash. Each of us watched our Omni-tools as a credit transfer was in place, the numbers rising higher and higher and higher. Every credit that the thing had stolen.

"Uh… are you guys seeing the same numbers as I am right now?" I asked, surprised.

"Er… I think I am… Does your say five hundred thousand credits as well?" Tali answered quietly. Wrex then burst into laughter.

"Hell fucking yeah!"

"Uh… that's a lot of money, Shepard. Should we… give it back…?" Tali asked.

"No way in hell am I giving up mine, so don't bother with that," Wrex answered before I could. I looked at the number. I wanted to give it back, that's the right thing to do. But… half a million credits.

"You know… I'm thinking… why don't we splurge a bit first? I… I think we earned it. Don't you think?" Tali then began an awkward giggle. She was tempted.

"Shepard… I don't know…" she trailed off. Still tempted.

"Tell you what. You don't have to spend a bit of any of the credits transferred to you. I have a few things I want to do with mine. If you want, feel free to send yours to Charity, or back to Flux. But me… I think I'll treat us a bit first…"

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

Surprisingly, the splurge was not as extreme as some would think. What I did, was buy a large new TV for the Normandy mess hall. I bought a stove oven and paid for same-day installation. I purchased higher quality food for the ship, both Dextro and Levo, and ensured that Tali would have some food that was more than just nutrient paste. Dextro, and sterilized. That, surprised her. And, I hired a chef to be our mess sergeant. Because for some reason, we didn't have one. Even better, was that he was also trained in cooking Dextro food as well, despite being human. The amount of money I gave him up front was enough to hire him for a few months, and the salary after that would come from my own account Barla Von was building. I sent some of it mom's way, and still ended up with dispersing most of it out and around charities. Tali just sent all of hers, feeling guilty with the prospect of spending it, given the stereotypes placed upon her people. Wrex? I have absolutely no idea what he has, or plans to do, with his money.

Now, it was at the end of our day cycle. I was in my quarters, getting ready for bed, when I got a call from Hackett. I immediately answered the call, throwing my shirt back on beforehand.

"Commander, we have something we'd like you to investigate."

"Of course, sir. Just say the word," I answered.

"There's a biotic commune in the Hawking Eta cluster. Century system. They're lead by a Major Kyle. He was the Commanding Officer on the ground at Torfan."

"Damn. That was a bloody battle…" I muttered. Torfan. The Alliance's retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz. Attacking a Batarian pirate world.

"It was. Major Kyle was honorably discharged afterwards after a psychological evaluation. The biotics he's taken under his wing at this commune have begun calling him 'Father Kyle.' And he's been preaching that the Alliance is to blame for their problems. We sent negotiators to speak with him a week ago. Haven't heard from them since."

"I see. Mission parameters, sir?" I asked.

"Go to his commune. Find out what happened to the Negotiators. If alive, bring them home. If not… We prefer that Major Kyle be taken in alive, Commander. And without bloodshed. He's a broken man. Do what you can," Hackett requested.

"Aye, aye, sir. We'll disembark as soon as Joker finishes resting up. He uh… had a few drinks."

"Understood, Commander. This is an urgent matter but not one that requires everything be dropped immediately. Hackett out."


	16. The Sky is Falling

**Commander John Shepard**

"Commander! Getting a transmission from Admiral Hackett. Marked as urgent. Like, really fucking urgent," Joker informed loudly on the comms. I jumped out of bed and answered the transmission immediately at my terminal, throwing a shirt on in the process.

"Sir!" I saluted as the image came on. We were already en route to Major Kyle, but something must have come up.

"Commander, forget about Major Kyle. At least for now. We have bigger problems. Much bigger problems."

"Joker's ready to change course, sir." I reassured. "What's the situation?"

"Asteroid X57. It's an Asteroid in the Asgard system. We've been moving it into orbit around Terra Nova. It just went dark, and is still full speed ahead towards the planet, with no sign of stopping. Commander, if that rock isn't stopped, four-and-a-half million people are going to die." My eyes went wide. Terra Nova is the oldest Human colony outside of Sol. And it's the most populated of any Alliance colony. I left the comm active as I gave an order to my pilot. Showing the Admiral I still had questions while we got underway.

"Joker! I want us in orbit around Terra Nova last week! On the triple mister!" I ordered into the intercom. I got a quick confirmation without any hesitation or sarcasm. He understood this was big. "All the colonists, sir? Is the asteroid that big?"

"Bigger than the one that wiped out Earth's dinosaurs. It won't just kill our people, it will kill the planet, Commander."

"Damn…" I muttered under my breath.

"Do we have any information as to why this happened? Any culprits?"

"Only guesses, and we can't even confirm it was attacked. Could be Saren and the Geth, though I would think they prefer leaving something behind they can use. Or, at least, they'll wait to fully destroy our colonies until after he has whatever he's looking for. Could be Batarians, but this is bigger than any of their terrorists have ever done. And that's counting Elysium." I bristled internally at the mention of both Elysium, and the fucking Bats.

"One more question. Timeframe. We're only a jump away from the Exodus cluster, and the fact that Asgard is the relay system helps a lot. But when is it going to be too late, sir?"

"We're estimating five hours. You should have one to get there, and then four hours to solve this on the ground."

"Understood. I'll prep my team immediately," I stated.

"Good luck, Commander. Hackett out." The call ended. I started getting my armors under suit on and alerted the ground team. Some may be asleep, some may still be awake, planning on having gone to sleep soon. Only reason I probably feel fine is that not that much time has passed for me to gotten that set in my sleep.

"Ground team! Get your asses up, fed, and suited right the hell up! We are going groundside in one hour! I repeat, one hour! Move it, move it! Double time, people!" I just grabbed a protein bar, too bad our chef doesn't have a chance to cook for us yet, and I also grabbed a stim for everyone from Chakwas. Just in case. Can't be falling asleep out there. Most of the ground team, was, fortunately, rapidly filling into the mess from their sleeper pods as I came out of the med-bay. Only one I didn't see was Wrex. I don't think he even uses the pods. Probably don't fit him, actually.

"What's going on, Commander?" Ashley asked.

"You'll be briefed once everyone's ready and we're waiting. If you're tired, I have stims I'll be handing out at the same time." I then went to the elevator and started getting suited up. Wrex was just leaning against the wall. Waiting, and ready. I got suited up quickly and read through a detailed briefing. Saving what knowledge I needed to know. The others quickly filtered in as well. By the time everyone was suited up, we had twenty minutes left. Good work. I stood in front of them all, weapons on my back, helmet held against my side with my left arm.

"We're twenty minutes out from Asteroid X57. Big metallic asteroid. For about a month, the colony in this system has been moving that Asteroid from the orbit of its native gas giant, to its own orbit. Mine it, make it a space station, that kind of thing. It's used three fusion torches to propel it along the way. The facilities have since gone dark, and those fusion torches are still active, despite the fact they should be long offline."

"What colony, sir?" Kaidan asked as I was taking a breath between sentences.

"Terra Nova." His eyes went wide, as did Ashley's. Garrus seemed to understand as well, mandibles twitching. "For those who don't know, Terra Nova is both the first, and the largest Human Colony outside of the Sol system. And this asteroid… well… Earth was hit by one a few million years ago. Wiped out most of the life there, gave we mammals the chance to evolve and take the place of the giant reptiles we had at the time. Also wrecked the ecosystem for quite some time. This asteroid? Significantly larger. This thing hits, the planet is fucked. Everyone on it, is fucked. The only good news I can give you, is that the systems in place to slow the rock into a gentle orbit are confirmed to be online and active. They can those at work. But they're also working against the fusion torches, and it's just not enough. Our job is to shut em down. First and foremost. Finding out who's responsible, finding survivors, that's all secondary."

"Wait, we don't know the motherfucker behind this?" Ashley questioned, annoyed and angered at that fact.

"We do not. We'll likely establish that while working on our primary objective. We have over four million lives at stake. We cannot fuck this up. Every man, woman, and child down there are depending on us to see them through the day."

"How long do we have, Commander?" Garrus questioned.

"To the current schedule, when we land, four hours. Fortunately, the fusion torches were all built within a close proximity to one another. And as we shut them down, the asteroid should start getting slower and slower. Though we won't have any time to waste until all of them are offline," I answered.

"What's the shutdown process?" Tali spoke up.

"Simple. And varied. We can shut them down remotely, though, we need to be in close proximity. The risk of that one is that a hostile could implement firewalls. There's the manual route, which is flipping a bit metal switch, in case there are firewalls or jammers. We could then jam something into the switch to keep it from being reactivated. Finally, we could go with the failsafe. Literally cutting off the power supply. The power cables have a fragile section located in a panel beside the controls that we can cut." I explained.

"ETA in five minutes," Joker called out on the intercom.

"You heard him. Fall in," I ordered, leading the others inside the Mako.

Garrus took gunner, Tali took the engineers seat beside me. The others, sat in the back. Ran the proper checks, and before long, the Mako was in freefall. The fusion torches were massive. And each had a smaller facility beside them that fed power and controlled them. The map of the area our briefing contained also helped us identify the highest structure, aside from the fusion torches, as a radio station, and three other scattered maintenance shacks, and the entrance to the main facility that houses those that live here. No one cheered or made any noises at all on our way down. This wasn't the kind of situation we could have much fun in. Wrex, maybe. But so long as those torches are online, most, if not all the rest of us, will be focused on worrying about that. We landed much like we did on Luna a few days ago, in a valley with the first of the torches practically straight across from us.

"Garrus, see those black rectangular structures surrounding the torch facility?" I pointed out as I began driving towards them.

"Yeah? What about them?"

"Those house turrets. Equipped with missiles. If the hostiles have hacked into them, they'll pop out and fire at us. Watch for them. The gun won't pop out of the top, but instead the walls will descend to reveal them. If we're lucky, they haven't been tampered with," I explained.

"So, prepare to dodge rockets then?" Garrus remarked.

"Yeah. Pretty fucking much," I managed a chuckle.

It went silent, and I was confident Garrus would take care of those defense turrets without much hassle. We were about a hundred yards out from the furthest turret when the walls started coming down, and I saw missiles heading our way. Garrus fired, taking one down as I swerved to avoid the barrage, now just beginning to circle the facility. Stopping or reversing to throw off the turret's tracking as Garrus continued picking them off with explosive rounds. Not a scratch. I secured my helmet, parked the Mako outside the facility entrance, and led the others outside, and then into the facility's airlock. The building itself stretched to the foundations of the fusion torch, but the control room should only be a few rooms in. The rest is just maintenance. It was weird, being outside. You look at the torch firing and feel like you should hear a rumbling. Yet, nothing. Nothing at all. Only your own breathing in your helmet. Your own heartbeat. And then the hiss of the airlock repressurization almost comes as a shock. Louder than it should be at the very first moment. We kept our helmets on as we entered the first room. We had our weapons out and ready.

The five other figures inside? Sloppy. Not even paying attention to the airlock. Two of the figures were quadruped reptiles. With two large fangs on their lower jaw, and a set of spines along their back. Grey flesh, and a black scaly hide along their back. Varren. Wrex will probably take a few cuts with him. The other three figures immediately got my blood boiling. One was casually sitting on a crate, one with his back to us, and the other had his body facing our direction. But all were watching the two Varren devour a human corpse. Those humanoid figures, wearing outdated, scarred armor, their green heads, four eyes, four nostrils. I couldn't help the snarl that formed as they noticed us, barring their own teeth.

"Fucking Batarians." I pulled the trigger. That was the cue for the others to do the same. We broke through the Batarians shields and killed them with our gunfire before they could draw their guns, and before the Varren could even charge. It allowed those reptilian attack dogs to be put down with ease.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

"Fucking Bats. I just knew it had to be the fucking Bats," Shepard growled. Surprisingly, using a racial slur for the Batarians. I'm not sure what is surprising me more. That, or what I'm seeing to be a raw hatred for them. It's almost like he's a different person. Like… how my people are with the Geth. "Stay frosty. There will be more of them further in. There's always fucking more," he warned. And… he's cursing a lot. I glanced amongst the others. It's hard to tell with their helmets are, but the way their glancing amongst each other. Glancing back at him. I think they're all surprised as well. "Kaidan, mark it," Shepard ordered as we passed the Human's body. I avoided looking at it. It was… horrendous. The torso ripped open by tooth and claw. Limbs gnawed off… face torn to shreds… I shuddered. I readied my shotgun, and just focused on being ready for whatever lie within the next room.

It was another squad of Batarians. And Varren. Varren that immediately charged, and the Batarians were ready, having heard the gunfire.

"Elysium wasn't enough, huh? Was it? Alright, fine. You want more? I'll give you fucking more!" Shepard shouted as he lobbed a grenade over to the Batarians. The Varren were close now, but Wrex used his biotics to lift one up, and smash it down on the other, with the force killing both. The Batarians cried out as the grenade landed and detonated. Limbs went flying. Oh. Elysium. Is this why he is so angry? I know his father died there. In formation, we breached and entered the next few rooms. No hostiles.

"Must have just brought enough to overwhelm the people here," Kaidan mused. A new set of gnawed corpses added weight to his thinking.

"Pretty fucking typical of them. They rarely ever attack anyone who can actually fucking defend themselves," Shepard muttered. We then entered the torch control room. Several consoles, a large metal switch, and other hardware. Shepard pulled up his Omni-tool, then barked a laugh.

"Yeah, they got firewalls. Fucking pitiful though. Already through. And leaving behind some actual security."

"I'll add some of my own, just to be safe," I added. Shepard nodded as I put a few of my own firewalls in place. The consoles showed the torch coming offline, its power source being removed, and its fuel diverted to reserves.

"I'm reading that the torch is offline," a woman's voice whispered from the console's intercom. "Was that you? Can you hear me?" Shepard stepped closer, activating the intercom on this end.

"Yeah, that was us. I'm Commander Shepard. Who are you?"

"My name is Kate Bowman. I'm an engineer. Part of the team assigned to bring this asteroid to Terra Nova. We were attacked yesterday by Batarian extremists. I've been hiding since they arrived. I think they know the torch went out," she warned nervously.

"Don't worry, Kate. Whether they know I'm here or not ain't gonna change a thing. Stay hidden, stay safe. If they find you, if they ask you questions about me, cooperate. There's nothing you can tell them that can hamper me," the Commander explained.

"A-Are you sure?" Kate asked, unsure.

"Absolutely."

"Well… if you say so," she breathed nervously. "If I find out anything else, I'll-" she stopped. Seemingly having heard something. "I've got to go. Good luck." The comm went silent. Shepard then punched his open palm and cracked his knuckles.

"Move out." he ordered simply. We made our way back towards the airlock. In the room outside the airlock, there was a human man, helmet clipped to his belt, pistol out as he scanned the room with his gun. He was clearly nervous and looking in places he shouldn't bother. He was older. Grey hair, wrinkled. Short hair, balding, looked like.

"Sir, rela-" a gunshot rang out as the man immediately faced Shepard and pulled the trigger. Shepard just looked down casually as his shields flared, effortlessly reflecting the shot. The man's face immediately was filled with shock.

"Oh, god! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to… are you ok? I'm so sorry," he pleaded. Shepard raised a hand, reassuringly.

"Don't worry. I have shields for a reason."

"Again, sorry. I didn't realize you were human until… well. Guess I'm not much of a soldier…"

"I hope you wouldn't have kept shooting if I was the one who walked up first," Garrus joked. The man awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"You're not Batarian. That's good enough for me."

"Commander Shepard. Council Spectre, Alliance soldier. Can I get your name?" he introduced.

"Oh! It's you! Er, Simon. Simon Atwell. I'm the chief engineer. But, we don't have much time. The Batarians fired up the fusion torches! You've-"

"Don't worry, Simon. We know, and we're on it. Already shut the first one down," Shepard reassured.

"Good… Good… I'm sorry. My family. They live in Aronas. My kids. My grandkids. Nice community. Good schools…" he breathed nervously. He was well and truly afraid for his people. But there is something I can tell you that should be of help. The fusion torch closest to this one is surrounded by live blasting caps. We were preparing for the excavations upon arrival. For security, I rigged them with proximity detectors. If that vehicle outside is yours, you won't be able to use that to get through."

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"There is one last thing. I had a crew working off-site when the attack hit. I'm worried. These Batarians… they're ruthless. I saw them smash the faceplates of guys working vacuum. And those Varren… I don't think they always wait for a corpse before feeding…" I saw Shepard clench his fists. Suppressing anger.

"I need to shut down the fusion torches first, but I assume they'd be at the three external sites?" Simon nodded his response. "I'll look for them then."

"That's all I can ask. Thank you. Now, there were also a bunch of engineers at the main facility. But… they're probably all dead… or being held hostage."

"We know at least one got away. Kate Bowman talked to us over the intercom," Shepard informed. Simon's eyes went wide, and there was a hint of a smile.

"Katie's alive? She's one of my best. Signed on with her brother. Aaron is part of the security detail. I hope they're ok."

"We'll find em. Don't worry. As for you, you should find a good hiding spot. They may try to get the torch going again," Shepard warned.

"Yeah. Yeah. Good idea. Good luck," the man breathed. Heading further inside. Finding his hiding place. And the rest of us followed Shepard back outside and to the Mako.

We drove through the valley, and I let my eyes wander to Terra Nova appearing just over the asteroid's mountains. And the occasional detached rock falling behind. I imagined the millions of people below. We can't let the Batarians succeed. Then the torch came into view. Still firing away. The area around was marked by bright markers, warning for the minefield. And more turret structures.

"On it," Garrus stated before Shepard could say anything. They fell into the same pattern that worked with the last one. Not a scratch to the Mako, when it was all said and done. Shepard then rolled the Mako up to just at the border of the minefield.

"Normandy! Get us a scan of the area in front of us. Map out the minefield for us," Shepard ordered.

"On it. Making a pass," Joker answered. One of the glints in space started to get closer. And closer. "Hey! You all look so small down there." The Normandy silently soared overhead before flying off for its orbit of the asteroid. "Got the scan results. Relaying now."

"Good. Garrus, blow em to hell," Shepard ordered.

"This'll be fun," Garrus chuckled. As he sent a single explosive round into one of the mines. Causing it to explode. The debris from that explosion set off a small chain reaction. One that cleared us a path straight to the facility.

"I like the way you think, Shepard," Wrex remarked. Shepard started driving forward. And figures came out of the facility.

"Rounds pinging off the shields!" I called out. Garrus let loose with the MG, so that he wouldn't damage the facility. Bodies were falling to the floor, suits punctured, exposing the Batarians to the vacuum. The Mako came to a stop just as the last of the bodies fell.

"Well that was fucking stupid of them," Shepard muttered under his breath. Suppose this means there will be less inside. The airlock did its work, we exited into the small entry room. And in the main room, we were left with a clearly advantageous position. A maintenance lift left low and aside stacks of crates. Giving us elevated cover for the firefight.

"Wrex, stay down here, cover our backs," Shepard ordered, as the rest of us went up and took cover. Rounds pinging harmlessly off these thick, heavy, metal crates. There were about a nine Batarians below us. Some, not even in cover. Those were the first to be put down.

"Hey, Kaidan! See that red canister?" Garrus called out. Kaidan peeked up before dropping back into cover.

"Yeah? What about it?" he asked.

"Toss it by the bastards! It's explosive!" Garrus explained.

"Got it!" Kaidan answered. Glowing blue as he stood. Liara glowed blue to give him a barrier, and Kaidan plucked the canister from the air, and rolled it towards a group of the other Batarians. Five of them. Garrus then shot it when he deemed the time right, and it exploded. Blowing some limbs off, blowing some away with the shockwave, and killing most.

"Good call, Vakarian," Shepard encouraged. "Wipe the fuckers out!" he pulled out his shotgun and jumped down. That was the signal for Wrex to get involved. Ashley was all too eager to join the charge.

As for us? We covered them. I took down the shields of one Batarian while Garrus put a bullet in his head. And I sabotaged the weapons of another that Shepard was charging. Wrex was charging two of them. Ashley seemed disappointed that Garrus got the one she was running for. Shepard knocked his to the ground and then aimed his shotgun right at the Batarians head. Pulling the trigger. Wrex took some fire. I saw his shields shatter and his armor take a hit or two. But he didn't stop. He rammed his forehead into one, causing him to collapse and fall to the ground, and then biotically, shove the other into a wall. Wrex stomped his foot down hard on the first Batarian's head, before walking over to the last Batarian, picking him up by the back of his head, and then both slamming his forehead to that Batarian's head, while simultaneously pulling the Batarian in the same direction. Practically doubling the force. It left a visible crack in the Batarian's helmet. Wrex then held the body still, while he spun the neck around. Breaking it. I swear it looked like it did not just one, but two full turns around.

The room was clear. The layout to this facility was the same as the last. And as we followed it, no other Batarians came to stop us. Though we still found more mutilated human corpses. We found the torch controls, and the firewall situation was the same as before. We easily broke through, deactivated the torch, and put our own firewalls in place. The intercom went live again.

"Are you there? You've got to hurry. You've really pissed them off," Kate warned us. Still just as nervous as before. "Their leader is setting charges everywhere. I think he's going to blow the whole facility!"

"Get away from there!" A voice, Batarian, most likely. It was rough, gruff. Angry. I haven't heard them speak before. But, somehow that fits. Shepard visibly tensed again.

"Don't shoot! Please!" Kate pleaded. There was the sound of a struggle on the other end. Static from the mic. But it was still active… We heard the sound of a body hitting the floor. Kate gasping.

"Who's shutting down the torches?" Another Batarian questioned.

"Come on, remember, just tell him," Shepard murmured under his breath.

"It's… Commander Shepard," she answered. I heard murmurs from the other end of the mic.

"Deal with him," the leader ordered one of his troops on the other end. The comm link went dead.

"We have to move. Expect more hostiles at the next one," Shepard warned. "Maybe we can beat them there, leave a surprise." We quickly returned to the Mako and started driving towards the final torch. We dealt with the turrets surrounding it, and then stopped outside the door. "Garrus, Tali, I want the two of you to stay inside the Mako. Watch for reinforcements, keep it safe, keep us clear. Got it?"

"Will do, Commander," I answered.

"They don't stand a chance," Garrus added. I diverted additional power to the shields, and we waited. We listened as Shepard fought through the defenders at this torch. They were ready and waiting, but Shepard ordered the biotics to wreak havoc to make up for the loss of two of his guns and techs. Thanks to the older and outdated models of armor, shields, and weapons they used, it would never have been too hard for Shepard and the others to break through.

"What the pirates can get their hands has never been a match for cutting edge military grade firepower," Garrus chuckled. "Even if the Hegemony supplied them directly, they're light years behind the rest of us by now."

"Do you really think the Hegemony is behind this?" I asked.

"Oh, there's no doubt about it. Sure, they'll just deny it like everything else, but the regular Batarian scum out here is a pirate or slaver. Neither has reason to destroy an entire planet."

"Keelah. They really think that poorly of humanity?"

"It's their own fault. In the eyes of the Council, and of logic, simply planning to eventually claim land doesn't mean it's no longer up for grabs. If someone else comes and claims it, well, then you were just too slow. Besides, they've always had a high opinion of themselves. Government propaganda tends to convince most others how great they are and how every bad thing that's happened to them is someone else's fault," Garrus remarked.

"Ah. I see... Wait, I'm getting movement! From the way we came!" I called out. Garrus went quiet and turned the gun to face in that direction. I saw a figure creep along, before darting back.

"Come on, poke your head out again, bastard," Garrus muttered. Surprisingly, he did more than that. He slowly walked out, hands in the air. "The hell?"

"Commander," I called over the comms. "We have contacts. But… they're surrendering," I informed.

"The fuck?" Shepard murmured.

"Don't shoot! I want to talk," the one who came out spoke on short range, open comms. Shepard remained quiet. Then I noticed the torch went offline. Terra Nova was safe, now. "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed."

"Diplomacy? I didn't think you Bats knew the meaning of the word," Shepard sneered. "You want to talk? Alright. Let's talk. I will allow you to enter this facility with two of your men. I will allow them to be armed. The rest of your men will remain outside, and in perfect view of my friends in that tank. Got it?" I watched the Batarians outside discuss amongst themselves. Finally, the lead called for the others to step out in front of us.

"Alright, we're coming in." I watched the three of them, while Garrus watched the five others. The five seemed nervous. The three entered the airlock.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

I don't fucking believe this. Not for a goddamn second. They have some sort of plan. Trick, I'm sure. Then I saw the three step out of the main entry way. My squad was in cover, with weapons trained on them. The door closed behind them, all of them had their helmets off.

"That's close enough," I stated firmly. I then ran a scan with my Omni-tool. None had an explosive vest. "Talk." The lead Batarian, in a red armor and with a red mark over his nostrils, between his eyes, began.

"Look. We're just doing our job here. Hijacking this rock wasn't our idea. I signed on to make a little profit. A slave grab. Nothing more."

"That's the wrong fucking answer," I snarled. Fucking slaving piece of shit. I drew my pistol and fired two rounds into his kneecap. The first broke the shield, the second sent him to the ground, crying in pain as the other two Batarians drew their weapons.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Wrex grumbled. I stepped forward and got on a knee in front of the Batarian who's now missing one. I pressed the barrel of my pistol against his head as he hissed in pain.

"I'll tell you how this is going to fucking go, you goddamn slaving shitbag. You are going to tell me the name of your boss. You are going to tell me everything you know about this operation. And then, because unlike you motherfuckers, I have a goddamn moral code, that demands that I don't put a bullet in your fucking head right now. So instead, you, and all your buddies here, are going to drop their weapons, get cuffed, and then you will be imprisoned. Not sure if by the Alliance, or by the Citadel, but all of you are going away for a looooong fucking time," I growled.

"Uh… Charn?" one of the Batarians here asked the one on the ground.

"Just fucking do it," he grunted. The two here set their weapons on the ground, hands in the air.

"Smart answer. Now, who the hell is your boss?"

"His name's Balak. He showed up to our group a few days ago and started bossing everyone around. He came straight from Khar'Shan. That's all I know. He told us this would just be a-" he stopped himself. "Another job. It turned into this."

"Order your men outside to drop their weapons, and then to step into the airlock. Two at a time. They will be shot if they disobey," I demanded. He put a finger to his ear. Gave the order. "Alenko, Williams, secure the other two. Wrex, T'Soni, keep watch where you are." The squad followed the orders.

I patted down Charn, finding a key card that he explained was for the main facility, reluctantly used some Medi-gel to stop his bleeding, and cuffed his hands behind his back. Then I tied his legs together. And then I tied his non-useless leg to his hands. I then took his helmet from him and would toss it outside later. Ashley and Kaidan followed the same process as me. Though, they had two legs to hog-tie them with. Oh, they complained, of course, but it wouldn't do them any good. And given that these were a mix of Omni-cuffs and small, metal wires made like zip ties, they shouldn't be able to undo the restraints. And of course, their helmets were taken. The process was repeated for each of those outside, once they came in. When that was all done. We made sure all the weapons were gathered, as well as all the helmets, and we left. Outside, we dumped them all. There's no way those Batarians are leaving.

Right now, I was furious. And that wouldn't be a good way to face off against this Balak. So, since Terra Nova itself was no longer in danger, I took the long detour for searching for Simon's workers at their far sites. Not one of them was still alive. One was in one of their buildings before it was blown open, exposing them to raw vacuum. Another was dragged out and shot. And the last had figured out something was wrong and attempted to walk to the main facility before being the victim of a sniper. I was still pissed, but it was a calm pissed. Cool anger, not hot anger. I was in control. Not being controlled.

The defenses outside the main facility's main entrance had a bit of a twist. Some of the turrets were built both on raised platforms, and on rails. Constantly moving the turret back and forth. Unfortunately, it seemed to hamper the turrets more than us. And we still had no issue neutralizing them. And still no signs of Batarian shuttles. They must have been using some other entrance. It would be no use to keep anyone out here as a precaution. Besides, we may need the numbers. We entered the facility. Weapons ready. We entered an office, almost like a receptionist's greeting room. Despite the fact that the staircase up just led to a central plaza. A tree with vivid red leaves waiting up there. Surprised it hasn't been burned down by the bastards. We made our way up the stairs and were greeted by both Batarians and combat drones. Drones that were almost immediately hacked. Helping us put them down with ease. We continued the push. Killing more and more Batarians. Hacking some drones, destroying others. We ended up at the far side of this plaza before seemingly, the last Batarian fell.

"You humans," another sneered, appearing on the upper level. Flanked by two more. And a snarling pair of Varren. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth." This Batarian seemed to be a leader. Balak, most likely. Light green skin along his face, dark on the sides. Yellow stripes painted along the jowls and side of his head.

"Oh, you haven't seen shit yet," I growled.

"Predictable. But this is over." What? My anger at someone who just tried to kill over four million people is predictable? Of fucking course, it is. "I'm leaving this asteroid. If you try and stop me, I'll detonate these charges. Your helper and her friends are all going to die." Damn it. I can't just leave them to die. But I can't just let this bastard get away either… Damn it.

"You really think you just get to walk away? After trying to kill everyone on the planet below?"

"What I've done?! This is nothing compared to what's been done to the Batarians!" He exclaimed. "We were forced into exile! Forced to survive on what we can scrounge up! It's been like that for decades!"

"Are you done bitching yet? No one forced you into exile, you chose to leave the Citadel. Forced to scrounge? What? Did the farms on your planets just up and vanish? Did your mines disappear? Asteroid belts? If you really needed the Verge, you should have claimed territory while you still could!"

"You invaded our space. You took our resources. When we asked the Council for aid, they brushed us off!"

"Invaded your space? Ha! There was only one time where you could claim that we genuinely entered Batarian space. And that was in retaliation. Retaliation for Mindoir, retaliation for our people captured and sold into slavery! For the raids! For the fucking Skyllian Blitz! The Batarians attacked us, Balak! And when we retaliated, you ran and hid and denied it all like a bunch of fucking cowards!" I shouted.

"You… you and your kind are the only reason we're in this position!"

"You are a fucking child, Balak. You and your government don't know how to take any fucking responsibility. And none of that justifies genocide. Killing innocent people."

"Sometimes you need to get someone's attention before they listen. That's why we attacked you at Elysium! That's why I'm doing this! You forced our hand!" Balak shouted back.

"Get our attention? You're goddamn right this would get our attention. The Batarians would finally get the war they've been too scared to declare for all these years. You know how that would end? It would end with Alliance ships in orbit over Khar'Shan as the Hegemony is dismantled. Because while all this time the Batarians have stagnated, relying on Pirates to do their dirty work, the Alliance has grown, and grown, and grown," I mocked.

"Enough! You couldn't possibly understand… Actually, you just don't want to understand. And I'm done wasting my breath."

"Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing," I insulted. He visibly snarled.

"If you want your friends to live. Step aside." Balak held the detonator up, thumb hovering over the button. Damn it…

"I'll find you, Balak. And when I do. It won't be pretty. You better watch your back. Watch the shadows. Because that's where I'll be. Every day of your pitiful life. Until the day I finally get to put a bullet in your head." Balak smirked, believing he has a victory here. He and those at his sides started to walk down and around.

"Those charges are still on a timer," he revealed. And then they began running towards an exit.

"Damn it. Garrus, left! Tali, behind us! I'll check right. Kaidan, fill in the gaps. Move!" I shouted the order and we all split. Running to find the explosives.

"One down here!" Tali called out, hopping over a ledge to the level below, running to the bomb. At least there's no more hostiles. I ran into the offices on the right, Garrus running up the stairs to search left. I found the bomb, a circular device with flashing red lights on the second floor, just as Garrus called out that he found his. I don't know how much time we had, but I worked fast. And in seconds, the lights went dim, the charge, disarmed. Tali had already called out hers was done, and Garrus followed up with his.

"Shepard? Shepard! You here?" a voice, Simon, called out. I walked out to the balcony to look over and down at him. He was at the main entrance. "I just saw a shuttle fly away. Did he get away? Is that… alright?" he asked, concerned. I cursed under my breath.

"He would have killed the hostages in here. He left bombs. Was hoping we'd be quick enough. What about you? I thought you were going to stay safe?"

"I… I thought that I might have been able to help. Thought I should be here. I know this asteroid better than anyone…" he explained, rubbing his arm. "But, you did it. The asteroid is steadying into orbit. You saved a lot of lives, today."

"Speaking of. Sorry to say, but we found your men. All dead."

"Damn it… what about Katie? Her team?"

"We were just about to let them out. Balak was keeping them in the lower levels of this office," I explained. I gestured for him to walk down and meet me there. I walked down the stairs, punching the wall in anger at Balak's escape, but hid the anger down again. Simon was waiting.

"Let a terrorist go or sacrifice innocent lives. Glad that's not a choice I had to make," Simon murmured under his breath. "Could you get in trouble for that? He could do the same elsewhere, couldn't he?"

"He's a snake. He's going to ground. Hiding away for some time, no doubt. But once I've nabbed Saren, oh, I am hunting his ass down."

"Well… I'd be pissing myself if I was him. And… Shepard? Thank you. For the lives of my grandchildren." Simon managed to smile. And, so did I.

"It was my pleasure, Simon. Now, let's free these people." I opened the door, and a stream of terrified civilians slowly came out. All of them, thanked me, and my team, profusely. I noticed that a woman, short, blonde hair, and a man, with short brown hair remained inside. The woman walked up.

"I can't believe you let Balak go… to save us…" she murmured. The voice allowed me to figure out that she was Kate Bowman. And the man I would assume to be her brother. "I half expected you to just let us die. Sacrifice the few for the many." I glanced back, seeing Garrus was in earshot. Listening to all of this. And I think he disagreed with my choice. Well…

"Ms. Bowman… I want you to think for a moment. Imagine Balak was in my situation. You know just as well as I do that he would have let you all die. I have to be better than that. Better than him. Second, beyond that, I can't just stand there and allow innocent people to die. No matter what. If I allowed Balak to kill you all, even if doing so, I was able to kill Balak in the process, I would have been like an accomplice. I would have been just as guilty for your deaths, knowing that I could have done something to prevent it, yet not. That's not who I am." As I finished, I glanced back at Garrus. I saw he was deep in thought. The gears in his head turning.

"You're absolutely right, Commander. And, thank you," the man spoke up.

"Yes, thank you, Commander."

"I was just doing my job. Now, Alliance ships should be by shortly to secure the asteroid and pick up some prisoners. In the meantime, we have more work to do out there."


	17. Talk it Out

I had written up and sent reports to the Alliance and to the Council. In addition, the entire near-disaster was already all over the news, and I had gotten several messages asking for an interview. And many more have been heading my way thanking me. I even had to make a small program for my account that separated thank you notes from the things I actually needed to see. Hackett had called as soon as we got back onto the ship. Essentially, a verbal run down of everything that happened on X57. When it was all said and done, he commended me. And told me to expect another medal coming my way soon. I tried to thank him, but he told me he wouldn't hear it. He'd refuse to.

As for what the Alliance's response would be, Hackett told me what he expected. We'd put pressure on the Hegemony. Using answers derived from the prisoner interrogations to drive some questions at Khar'Shan. While we already know their responses will be more and more denial, we'll still be making those bastards sweat. Balak would find himself among the top of the Alliance's most wanted, but it seemed like universal knowledge that he was going straight back to Khar'Shan anyway.

The Council, on the other hand, hadn't contacted me at all since getting the report. Perhaps they're satisfied with that in and of itself, and/or prefer to leave this as a Human matter. Despite the attack breaking several of the Citadel conventions.

Anyways, Normandy was now back en-route to Major Kyle's compound. But the ground team was tired, needed to sleep. So, Joker took it easy. I slept without much issue, woke up, showered, got dressed, and went to go see what the chef had cooked up. It may be weird just calling him chef, but, honestly, he insisted on being called that. The few times he spoke, was either to explain what he had created, or that he just wanted to be called chef. This breakfast, the first he had made for us, was relatively simple. Pancakes with either a side of fruits or hash browns. Nice and crispy too. While Wrex just stuck with his own meals that he brought with him, and restocks whenever we're on the Citadel, Garrus and Tali had just woken up too. The chef stared at them, brow raised. His way of asking what we wanted. The two Dextros glanced at each other.

"He's asking what you want for breakfast," I chuckled, explaining it for them.

"You know how to cook dextro?" Garrus asked, surprised. Chef nodded.

"I wouldn't have hired him if he couldn't," I added.

"How thoughtful," Joker teased. This was one of the rare times he's left his seat at the bridge. His crutches leaning against the table beside him. Normally he just eats the simple meals and snacks we have up there, but I guess he wanted to see what Chef can do. Speaking of him, Chef tapped his wooden ladle on the counter, reminding Garrus and Tali that he was waiting.

"Oh, thank you, but there's no need. I'll just have some nutrient pa-" Tali began. But then Chef rapped the ladle against her hand. I almost stood to see if she was alright, before having a stern talk with the chef. "Ow!" Tali shook her hand.

"Non. I cook." Chef stated, a thick French accent. That put me a bit more at ease. Refusing to allow her to settle?

"Uh… well, Turians have these breakfast pastries mixed with meat from some of our poultry, Louza. Can you make that?" Garrus asked. Chef nodded, and then looked back at Tali.

"I… suppose I'll try some of that, if it won't be an issue," she answered. He then got to work. He got the proper ingredients, none of which looked familiar to me, and started mixing in one bowl. Garrus and Tali took some seats at the table. Tali was, again, across from me. And Garrus, was sat next to me.

"That was… interesting," Garrus whispered. Tali was still rubbing her hand.

"And why did he hit me with that spoon?" she asked.

"I think it's just a chef thing. Seemed like you weren't going to let him cook for you. He wouldn't allow that, I guess," Kaidan shrugged. I took my first bite of my own meal. I had spent the time until now either distracted or cutting the pancakes up. I gotta admit. This shit goooooooood. I heard the oven open and saw that Chef had just put the first round into one section of the oven. And he got to work preparing the next. I watched curiously for the extra care he went to for the sterilized meal. He put the ingredients all in a machine he had told me he needed if he would cook for a Quarian. The first stage seemed to sterilize everything, before moving he told it to put which ingredient in a kind of bowl first. Mixing it as he required. I wasn't the only one watching.

"Huh. Never thought about all the hoops you have to jump through just for a meal," Ashley remarked. Somehow, I don't find that surprising.

"It's one of the reasons we normally stick to nutrient paste. While normally bland and flavorless, though they try to add artificial flavorings that hardly do much, it keeps us fed efficiently," Tali responded.

"Wait, once it's done, how are you going to eat it anyway? Is it just going to be turned to paste? A smoothie or something?" Joker asked.

"You're going to see soon, aren't you, Joker?" Tali asked with a small chuckle. He grumbled impatiently.

"Why are you called Joker anyway? Normally I just hear you use sarcasm," Garrus asked.

"It's a name a flight instructor gave me at the academy," Joker shrugged, taking a bite of his food. He chewed it, swallowed, and continued. "Never smiled. So, she did what instructors do."

"You never smiled? Why not? Was something wrong?" Liara asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah. Those," Joker pointed to his crutches. "I was working my ass off to prove the other dipshits wrong. When they all got beaten by the guy with glass for legs, I give you one guess who was smiling at graduation."

"Wow. I'm impressed, Joker," Tali nodded.

"Bah it was nothing," Joker waved off, but was still smiling. "Something about flying comes naturally to me. Thanks, though."

"So, if you ever piss me off, I just need to poke you in the leg?" Wrex remarked.

"Depends on how hard you poke. And if you want me to turn off the gravity in the room you're in as retaliation sometime. Or increase it," Joker retorted. He earned a chuckle from the old Krogan. And at the same time, Chef finished mixing Tali's bowl. It was then wrapped and covered by the machine in some kind of see-through wrap, and Chef put it into the oven next to Garrus' meal, which looked like it would be done soon.

"How much did that thing cost?" Tali asked.

"Honestly, I don't even remember," I chuckled. "With that jackpot we nabbed, I didn't exactly pay much attention to price tags."

"Thanks for not giving it all away. That TV you got up there is fucking sweet!" Joker exclaimed. "We should all watch some shit sometime."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "Just remember that not all of the crew runs on the same schedule."

"We could just wait for an actual shore leave sometime," Ashley suggested.

"Maybe. We'll see. In the meantime, it's still free reign to anyone eating and off duty." The oven door opened again, and Chef prepared Garrus' plate. Bringing it over to him. Garrus cautiously tested the first bite, before his eyes widened and mandibles flared.

"A lot better than I expected. Thanks," Garrus called out, digging in. It was quiet for a moment as we ate, Tali just waiting a bit longer for her meal.

"So… skipper… why did you let him go?" Ashley asked. I held up a finger as I was in the middle of chewing. Garrus had just swallowed a bite.

"I was wondering that too. But… I heard what you said to Kate Bowman after the mission, and… well maybe I'm convinced," Garrus mused thoughtfully. Good, very good. Progress has been made.

"Well, what did he say?" Ashley asked Garrus, annoyed.

"I think he was going to let me, do that, Williams." I remarked as I swallowed by own bite. I leaned back, as I could not lean forward onto the food. I think I can get a pretty quick way to explain this to her. "Williams, I want you to imagine for a moment, being the one making the decision right there. Could you truly, manage to sleep at night if you knew you had the chance to save all those people, and then watched them all die because you chose otherwise? The sadness and despair that would have caused their family members left behind?" Ashley looked down at the table, thinking. "And then remember what did happen because we saved them. The tears of joy, happiness, relief, merriment. They thought for sure they were going to die. They were afraid. Could you really let that change?" She was still quiet. "Finally, imagine being in their place. Not a strong soldier pledged to protect Humanity at any cost. But your average joe. An ordinary citizen. Under the threat of death and your fate resting in the hands of another. Imagine that fear, and then imagine that they chose to sacrifice your life for some other goal. How would that make you feel? Being forced to leave your sisters, your family behind, just because someone else made that kind of decision for you?"

"Well… I'd be mighty fucking pissed, Skipper."

"And there you go." Chef then walked over with a semi-large, transparent container. There was a tube at the top side which bent and stretched to connect with a slot at the base of her helmet, and at the left and right side, least, with how it was placed in front of her, if one put their hands in the holes, they stretched out a pair of… gloves, let's call it, that allowed her to use the silverware to cut her food and bring it to the top of the box.

"Well that's… elaborate," Joker remarked.

"But necessary. The tube at the top, when I bring it food," Tali demonstrated. "Sends it through and into my helmet." Tali went quiet as I assumed, the food was brought to her. "And right in front of my mouth. Thank you, Chef! It's very good, by the way," Tali added at the end of her explanation. Chef, being done cooking, took a bow, and began to clean.

"Well, I'm done, so should probably go waddle back up to my seat. Someone needs to fly this beauty, and I only like letting autopilot go for so long," Joker remarked, getting his crutches situated.

"I'm going up too. I'll help you along," one of the other crew members offered.

"Thanks, but that will probably only increase the chances of me falling and getting chewed out by Chakwas. Again. I know how to manage." Joker went on his way.

"So, Wrex, why did you become a merc?" I asked, trying to drum up some conversation. He didn't respond for a moment, just one of his eyes glancing at me.

"Lots of reasons."

"Come on, you can give us a bit more than that, can't you?" I continued.

"I needed to get out of our system. I needed to eat. I needed to survive," he huffed.

"Why did you need to leave your system?" Tali asked. An unsurprising question from her, given their situation. And given that Wrex seems to have a soft spot for her, I think that might be what helped him relent.

"I tried staying. I tried helping my people. And that's why I had to leave." Wrex sighed. "I was betrayed. I was the Chief of a smaller section of Clan Urdnot. We were trying to restore order after the war, but the other tribes were against us. A few centuries had already passed, sure, but myself and those who followed me were done with the state Tuchanka was in. Most of them followed Jarrod. One of the few Warlords who survived. But he was old. And his ideas were just as old." I noticed Garrus started paying much closer attention. "He wanted to continue the war. Wanted us to fight. Didn't even matter who. Turians, Salarians, each other. Fucking idiot just wanted us to fight."

"And your clan? What did you want?" Kaidan asked.

"I just wanted Jarrod to shut the fuck up. To stop his ranting. I wanted him to stop leading the clans astray. But he couldn't understand how much things had changed. We didn't have the numbers to go to war. And if we did, the Genophage made sure we couldn't replenish them fast enough. I told them all to forget about war. We needed to focus on breeding. At least for one generation."

"Wait, sorry to interrupt. You said war. Not the war?" Garrus asked.

"You're right. I did. More of us die because of war than are born thanks to the Genophage. We needed to stop letting so many of us die and replenish before we could even begin to fight, even each other, again. And for a while, we were getting through. Other clans started coming around."

"And Jarrod wasn't happy?" Ashley added.

"No. He arranged a Crush with the clans. A meeting on neutral ground. He wanted to talk. Hmph. Bastard only offered because he knew we were starting to threaten him," Wrex grumbled. "We met at the hollows. Near the graves of our ancestors. From before the rebellions, before the Rachni and the Salarians even. Hell, before we nuked ourselves to oblivion. The skulls of our dead laid bare to remind us where we come from, and where we all go. It's as sacred as any Krogan place can be. Violence is forbidden."

"It was a trap, wasn't it?" I remarked.

"Of course it was," Wrex muttered bitterly. "Suspected as much from the start. But when your father invites you to a Crush… well, there are some laws even we hold sacred."

"Keelah, Jarrod was your father?" Tali exclaimed.

"Until that day. We talked but got nowhere. When it was clear I wouldn't join him, he gave the signal. His warriors sprung from the graves of our ancestors like undead. The few loyal to me died quickly. I escaped with my life. But not before I sank my dagger deep into that fucker's chest," Wrex ended with a growl. "That's why I left. And why I'll never go back." The mess went silent again. So. That's what made him give up on the Krogan. I… can't say I really blame him.

"Well… I'm going to go clean my guns, check the ammo block," Ashley remarked, standing up.

"And I'm going to play with the Mako a bit more."

"And I should report to Adams."

"And I should report to Dr. Chakwas." And with that, only Kaidan and I were left at the table. Chef grabbing a few plates to clean them while also cleaning his kitchenware. I still had a bit more of my meal to work on. And Kaidan is one of the ever-hungry Biotics. For some reason, that metabolism boost doesn't hit the Asari as hard as it does humans.

"So… I dunno. What more can you tell me about BAaT?" I asked him, as he was still eating.

"Hm? Hm!" Kaidan just made those noises as he swallowed, realizing I was talking to him. I suppose he went into his own little world for a moment. Or a migraine flair. "Well, I remember it going slow at first. Back before we had an official embassy. That was one of the better times. Once we had that embassy, they brought in this retired Turian, Commander Vyrnnus. Real hardass. Conatix gave him a free pass to break us if it made a decent biotic. Kinda spiraled out of control from there, Commander."

"Well, there's military drill sergeant hardass, and then there's just abuse. And you were all still kids, right? Didn't deserve either. He get charged?"

"He got his… yeah…" Kaidan trailed off. "But like I said. Jump Zero was all under the table. Look, it's ancient history, Commander. Walked it all off a long time ago."

"Fair enough. Got a lighter topic?" I asked him.

"Lemme think… ah. Think I got some regular grunt talk. T'Soni. Quite a looker, eh?" I suppressed my laughter to my chuckle.

"Thinking of making a move sometime?"

"No… no… just, art appreciation," Kaidan smirked.

"Come on, Alenko. If you decide you like her for more than her looks, make a move. She's not Alliance, so regulations shouldn't apply. Besides, I'm a Spectre, and I never liked that regulation," I hinted.

"Thanks, Shepard," Kaidan chuckled. "Be sure to take your own advice, alright?" Wait, what's he talking about? I must have clearly had a confused look spread across my face as he began chuckling.

"Kaidan, what are you talking about?"

"You really don't know, Shepard?" I shook my head. "Really? Damn. And I thought I was a dense bastard." Still confused, I continued eating as Kaidan left. Once done, and leaving my plate in the washer, I decided I should check and see how Liara is doing. I went through the med-bay, giving a quick greeting to Chakwas, and found her sitting at her desk, again.

"You doing alright? Liara?" I asked.

"You mean about my mother?" she responded bluntly, looking up. "I am managing, Commander. I am simply remembering my mother as she used to be, and the Woman corrupted by Sovereign as something else."

"That's good, Liara. Just wanted to check in. Here to talk if you need it," I offered. Liara broke a smile. "That is kind of you."

"Of course. So, since I'm here, maybe we could pick up where we last left off? I think I remember… you telling me about your interest in Protheans, correct?" I suggested. While pretending as if I had forgotten her comical little slip up that followed.

"Actually, I believe we were talking about my interest in you. And making a fool of myself in the process. I'm not used to dealing with people. Especially Humans." Well. I threw her a bone there. She doesn't want to take it, that's her choice. "I did not know much about your species when we first met. I found it hard to take humanity seriously. Your kind always seemed so rushed and high-strung." High-strung? Hm. I think we're one of the more laid-back species out there. Procrastinate on things we don't want to do, but rush right ahead to get shit we want done, done. For example, our expansion and colonization. Meanwhile, as a people, a lot of us can get pretty chill. And there's one more thing.

"Liara, we don't have the luxury of time like the Asari. We're lucky to hit 150 these days," I reminded.

"That is true. At first, I thought it was a weakness. Now, after spending time with the crew, I think it is instead an advantage. You are creatures of action and pursue your goals with complete determination. I find it admirable, and intimidating."

"Intimidating?"

"Unfortunately, the rest of the Galaxy sees humanity as something of a bully. You run over anyone in your path to get what you want," she explained. I raised a brow. I find that unfair. And untrue. "But I believe I'm starting to see the truth those misconceptions hide. It is up to Humans such as yourself to change their minds." I started to relax, no longer as tense at her comments. Might want to suggest that she not repeat those things to Williams.

"Well, I try," I shrugged.

"Indeed. There is a reason the Council chose you to become a Spectre. They saw something special in you. The best of what Humanity has to offer. I looked into your history. It-"

"Woah, Liara. Just… hold on there," I stopped her. Then sighed. "Don't… just don't do that. If you know someone personally, it's rude and shady to just go behind em and research them without asking them personally. An invasion of privacy. I've told you guys much more about my past than I ever expected to anyway. There are some things out there I don't like telling. Don't like remembering. So, just… if you have questions, ask, and if I'm willing to answer, I'll answer."

"Oh… I'll apologize, Commander. After our last conversation, I was afraid of saying something stupid again. Instead, I have gone and done something stupid instead." It would be polite to counter that, but I'm not in the mood to lie like that right now. "I wanted to learn more about you," she mused. "To understand what made you into the man you are. There's something… compelling about you, Shepard." Ok, I know Kaidan said I was dense earlier, but… is she coming onto me?

"What, the beacon?" I joked, trying to turn the conversation away from that. I already know I'd have to tell her I'm not interested, I don't know her that well, after all, in addition to her just going behind my back like that. Kinda a bad mix to ask someone out on.

"While that was the cause for my initial interest, yes, it has grown beyond that," Liara continued. Ah shit, here we go. "You intrigue me, Shepard. But I was not sure if it was appropriate to act on my feelings," she took a step closer to me, standing from her seat. "I thought there might already be a relationship between you and Chief Williams." ...What?

"Ok, ok, hold on just a second here. Where did you get the idea we were into each other? I think I've yelled at her more than I've talked to her!" I exclaimed. Liara seemed to light up with some hope. Well shit I just got her hopes up.

"Oh? I've seen the ways she has looked at you in the past. I was not sure. My apologies. Another example of me not understanding human relationships. But what about us, Shepard? Is there a mutual attraction? Or was I wrong about that, too?" Yep. There it is. Shit, I don't like doing this. I've been on the receiving end before, back during school. But I can't very well lie to her about this.

"Liara… you're a smart woman, and you're a nice woman. But… no, I don't feel attracted to you in _that_ way. Happy to have you as a friend, but… that's as far as I want to go right now," I answered. Her features fell. "Look, it's nothing to do with you, it's just… we don't really know each other that well, and that's a big block for me." That wasn't a complete lie, but not the complete truth either. Truth is that I was still a bit weirded out by her occasional monotone and occasional lack of expression. I don't think it's her fault, but that doesn't make it less off-putting. Second would be another thing she can't really control. Her strangely linear eyebrows that almost look drawn on but are hair. And the Asari head tentacle… things. They may have nice bodies aside from that, but that part itself has always just been a bit weird. Maybe that's because years ago, I had a… uh… dream, about an Asari, but in the middle of the… act, those things started writing and tried to latch onto my face like it was gonna eat me or some freaky ass shit. Finally, another thing. I just don't have that… pull, to her. A thought of anything beyond friendship with Liara never even crossed my mind until now, and now that it has, my only reaction is… meh. Other than that, my statement was truthful. I prefer being good friends with someone before crossing that gap.

"So… what if we did get to know each other better? Would that change?" Liara asked. I cringed internally. That's… kinda clingy. Desperate. "By all means, ask whatever you wish."

"Uh… it's not that easy, Liara. Or simple. Just… wait and see, I suppose." Liara's features fell again.

"This is very embarrassing for me, Commander. Please, if I could have some time," she requested.

"Of course." I immediately turned to leave the room, pulling at the collar of my shirt and taking a deep breath.

"Something wrong?" Chakwas asked, concerned. I double checked that the door was shut, so that Liara wouldn't hear.

"Well… obviously don't tell her or anyone I told you, but… Liara told me she had feelings for her, and I had to turn her down. Awkward, and I feel bad for her."

"Oh, poor girl," Chakwas murmured. "As for you, I trust you made it gentle?"

"Course."

"Good," Chakwas smiled. "You know your mother and I always talked about how you've been a lady killer forever, but you've never believed us."

"When your mother and a woman who might as well be your aunt try to tell you about all the girls they see making goo-goo eyes at you, you have a tendency to think that either they're seeing things, or making it up," I chuckled.

"Please, John. You insult me," Chakwas smirked. "Ashley, though I think she's since caught on you don't think the highest of her, Liara, and without naming names, I can think of several other women on this ship who wouldn't mind a roll in the hay with you. One of them I don't think realizes it."

"Ha, ha, very funny," I retorted, trying to hide the fact my cheeks were a bit red.

"Just as dense as your father," Chakwas shook her head, chuckling.

* * *

 **Garrus Vakarian**

I was underneath the Mako, doing more work as is usual. A black work tank top that can get as many stains as it wants, and thick pants for the same. I was just wrapping up now, though. It won't be long before we get to this Major Kyle, and the Mako can't have maintenance panels open for that. No need to get suited up yet, but I don't have time to do anything I might want to do. So, I rolled out from under, and wiped my oily hands on a cloth. Going to need to shower again. I glanced up to see Wrex was staring at me from across the cargo bay. Given the conversation we had during breakfast, I'm a bit unsure what to make of it.

"You… need something, Wrex?" He didn't answer, but he shrugged and walked closer, closing the gap between us. A gap the width of the cargo bay.

"Got a question I want to ask. Over a drink."

"Alright… can I shower first? Would like to get the filth off."

"Sure," Wrex shrugged. "See you in the mess." Wrex immediately turned back towards the elevator. I glanced at the only other person in the cargo hold, being Ashley. She had her head tilted to the side, brow raised. Like she was implying a question. I just shrugged. And she returned her focus to her gun. I had to wait for the elevator to come back down from Wrex's use, and then had to wait for it to get back up. It was almost maddening. Finally, I got my chance, and headed directly for the crew quarters, and the bathrooms linked. The crew quarters were at the other end of the hallway with the sleeper pods along it. The quarters weren't large, but it was enough beds for the different shifts, and for two small bathrooms. One for each sex. I just went in, got a shower, and some regular clothes before needing to get into my armor under suit. Then I met Wrex back out in the mess. He was already leaning back in a chair with a bottle, probably Ryncol, and I grabbed a dextro beer before sitting down on the other side of the table.

"So?" I gestured for Wrex to start.

"Right." he took a swig of his drink. "Genophage. Wanna hear your thoughts." I know my eyes widened a bit.

"Uh… any particular reason you want to talk to a Turian about that?" I asked cautiously.

"Relax, Vakarian. I'm asking, so you can consider that me giving you free reign for this talk. I want to know what they teach Turian kids these days. What the younger ones think about it." I still wasn't relaxed.

"Well… We know how it started. Krogan expanding after the Rachni wars. Couldn't keep up with their birth rates. Then the Krogan occupied an Asari world and were set out on the warpath." Wrex wasn't saying anything. Just quietly listening along. "Turians handled most of the fighting against you. Krogan were dropping asteroids on populated worlds. Just like Balak tried to do. We got pushed all the way back to our moon, Menae. We held you off long enough for the Salarians to make the Genophage. A way to stop the war without simply obliterating every Krogan held world and the populations on them. Lower birth rates to keep them from expanding any further. With Krogan numbers after the war, populations either returned to Tuchanka, or spread out into the traverse, the Terminus, or just Citadel Space as a merc, more or less."

"And the Genophage itself? Your thoughts, not your history lesson."

"It… was necessary. Like I said, we Turians were pushed back all the way to a moon orbiting our home world. And we were under threat of having our home world annihilated by an asteroid or swarmed by furious Krogan. It ended the war without killing every Krogan out there. And that was honestly the only two viable options the Krogan had given us."

"That's fair. For the record, Vakarian, I do believe that our ancestors around that time were stupid. A stable society can't handle our birth rates. Not when they're unchecked. They needed a breeding program. And I can agree that for everyone else, it was a desperate time. But what about the Genophage after the war? Hm? Today."

"Krogan haven't given anyone a reason to cure it. As far as we can tell, Krogan society has only gotten more bitter and violent since. If the Genophage were to be cured today? Well, I'd bet money on a war of vengeance being very close behind," I mused.

"Hm." Wrex grunted. "Have you seen our population growth, Garrus? I look at it every year."

"Can't say that I have."

"Not surprised. Don't blame you, either. It's not something you need to worry about. Every year since the Genophage was introduced, our death rates have exceeded our birth rates. Most years that's in the triple digits. A couple of years, four digits. Very few years has there been more births than deaths. And that only ever got above double digits once. The Krogan are dying. We're being killed slowly rather than just all at once." I was silent. Thinking. That's not something I wish upon the Krogan. But at the same time, we can't afford to let them wage war again. So, I took a swig of my beer.

"Then… someone needs to go and get the Krogan in line. Unite them like you were trying to do, get them to settle down. The Krogan lost everyone's trust in that rebellion. If they settled down, united, proved to us they were open to peace… then I think it would be safe to give them another chance." That seemed to put Wrex into some deep thought. Maybe my mention of someone uniting the Krogan like he did.

"I still think it's gone on too long. You haven't seen the mass graves of stillborn Krogan. What that does to our females… what the Genophage has forced them to do. All in the name of survival. I can agree we left you with little choice, I can agree that we aren't making it an easy choice now. I can understand your hesitation, but… It needs to end, Garrus. If my people are going to survive, it needs to go."

"Well… despite how I expected this conversation to turn out, knowing a Krogan can be like you has me a bit more optimistic," I remarked.

"Like me? Ha," Wrex barked a short laugh.

"I'm serious, Wrex. Most Krogan I've met have just been dumb brutes who either blame everyone for the Genophage or don't care and still want to beat the shit out of everyone. But you… you're smart. You have control." And he's empathetic, even gave me a moral lesson about the Quarians. Back when the ground team went to Flux, and we talked about them. I don't see myself admitting it, but… I thought about what he said. I was a bit short sighted with that. Still not sure about some parts… but I wasn't right.

"So. Agree on what we agree on, agree to disagree on the rest?" Wrex offered. He even reached a hand out, like the shake the Humans do.

"Deal."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Normandy was safely in orbit around Presrop, the moon that Major Kyle had started his cult on. Thanks to the relay network, we didn't have much to worry about being as close as we are to the galactic core. Very low odds of star formation being close enough to screw with our ship. In addition, there was an Alliance cruiser waiting nearby with a squad waiting to secure the Major if we get the chance to bring him in alive. The crew was gathered in the Mako, and Joker was counting down for our drop. The atmosphere on the moon was virtually non-existent, and it was made up of carbon dioxide and ethane anyway, so it might as well not have one.

Joker finished the countdown, and we began our rapid descent. This was a time where we could have fun with the drop. Everyone was either laughing or cheering at the drop. Well… except Liara, I think. And that would be because of our conversation earlier. We landed with a thud, safe and sound. The moon was barren, rocky, and grey. Though the sky was anything but. Filled with the light of stars and nearby nebulas. The light of the galactic core being the second brightest object in the sky right now, like a small star.

"Damn, look at the planet! That's a massive canyon!" Ashley exclaimed.

"That's Klendagon. The great rift valley," I informed.

"I think I remember hearing something about that. Ain't natural, right?" Kaidan asked.

"That is correct, Kaidan. Surveyors have instead found evidence that it was caused by an unimaginably massive mass accelerator round. A glancing blow, in fact," Liara explained.

"Fucking hell! A glancing blow? Damn, I'd love to see what a direct hit could do," Ashley chuckled.

"That would be some Death Star level shit. Just, you know, not a laser," I remarked.

"Death Star?" Garrus asked.

"Something from an old movie franchise, don't worry about it," I shrugged. That answer seemed to satisfy Garrus, and we stopped admiring the scenery to get on our way. We found ourselves outside the compound before long. A moderately sized two story main building that likely had an underground, a small solar farm, and the entrance to a bunker. Which likely connects back to the surface building.

"Williams, Alenko, with me." I figured that for a nervous conclave of Human fanatics, biotic fanatics, humans would be better company for them. Especially when one is a biotic himself. "Rest of you, stay here, watch." With the other two, I disembarked the Mako, kept our weapons stored, and approached the door. I saw a button to the side, and buzzed it. A second later, there was a broadcast on open comms.

"This is a private sanctuary. Outsiders are not welcome here." A man warned.

"My name is Commander Shepard. I need to talk to the man in charge. It's important," I answered.

"Father Kyle wants nothing more to do with the Alliance," the man sneered.

"I'm sorry, but two Alliance men are missing. I want this to end peacefully. If he doesn't see me of his own free will, people may get hurt, and that's something I want to avoid," I argued gently.

"We won't let you take Father Kyle away! He protects us! We need him!" The man shouted.

"And he needs my help. The Alliance wants to know what happened to its men. And we already suspect murder. It's not something we can let slide. Let me speak to Major Kyle in peace, and we can find some way to get everyone out of this alive," I continued.

"Skipper…" Ashley whispered, unsure, on the squad's secure comms channel.

"Just let me try." The man on the other end was still silent. We waited another ten seconds.

"Father Kyle will speak with you. Enter through the bunker. He'll meet you there."

"Thank you. Your trust is appreciated," I answered. I switched back to squad comms. "You all hear that?"

"We heard it, Commander," Tali responded.

"Good. Just keep watching the building and the bunker. One of you listen in on us. Things get heated, we'll need the reinforcements. Non-lethal takedowns," I ordered.

"I'll keep myself patched in," Wrex stated. With that, we entered the bunker, a small side door opening to an airlock. But we kept our helmets on. Outside the airlock, were a man and a woman. The man was darker skinned, and the woman lighter skinned. Both had short, black hair. And they were both armed.

"Follow us," the man grumbled, clearly unhappy with the situation. They were our escort to Major Kyle. We passed a hydroponics farm, supplying them with both oxygen and food, as well as a smaller area where they kept small livestock. Chickens and pigs. The whole way, other cultists were staring at us. Some glowing blue, but not using their biotics offensively. I made sure that the extra dampeners I packed for this mission were ready. They led us down to a room that upon entrance, seemed much like a church. It lacked stained glass windows, or religious symbols, at least, from what I could recognize, but there were rows of benches, and a raised stand at the front. There was a man dressed in a red robe standing just in front of the stand. He was light skinned with a shaved head. A moustache, and a goatee along the center of his chin.

"Father Kyle," the man and woman bowed their heads down, eyes shut.

"Leave us." Kyle ordered. Wordlessly, the man and woman left, without raising their heads. "I am Major Kyle. I know why you have come. We have no quarrel with you. Why can't you just leave us alone?" he pleaded sadly.

"For starters, the Alliance officers. What happened to them?" I questioned.

"They wanted to take me away from here. They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy!" Ugh, I hate that word. "I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe." I noticed Ashley's hand was hovering over her pistol.

"You shouldn't have killed them, Major. They legally could not have forced you to do anything. But now that they're dead, I've been sent by the Alliance to bring you in. It's gotten out of hand. You've endangered your followers now," I explained. He raised a brow.

"I respect that you have come under a banner of peace. But I cannot do as you ask. If you take away their father, my children will be helpless."

"The Alliance has gotten better at treating biotics, Major. I'm an L2 from BAaT. I'd have never gone back to conditions like that. But the Alliance is more accommodating now. Just look at Grissom Academy," Kaidan added his two cents. Before Kyle could speak up, I pushed.

"Major, you either ordered your followers to kill those Alliance investigators, or they were accomplices in the act. You have to face the consequences for your actions. Do you wish for your children to suffer for your choices?" That should strike a chord. And it did. His eyes went wide. He lost his composure.

"N-No! This was my fault! My children are innocent! Pure! Please… I…" I saw a tear streak down his face. "I never meant for this to happen. I'm… sorry."

"You're doing the right thing, Major," I reassured gently. "Your children will be better off for it. Now, is there an environment suit you can put on?"

"Wait, wait. If my children see you taking me away, they won't understand. I'm afraid that they will attack. I don't want to see any of them hurt. Commander… please. Give me some time to talk to them. You have shown me the error of my ways, Commander. Now you must give me time to explain it to them. They must understand, and this will be the only way…" Kyle requested. I remained silent for a moment. Considering. If we just try and take him now, we could just knock him out if he resists, sure, but then his followers would attack, and that could put us in a very bad spot. The others might not arrive in time. It would be very messy. On the other hand, if we allow him, and he's lying, then at least we could make a push in with the full squad. That could likely end up clean and methodical for us, might be able to leave some alive, but there'd still be a lot dead. As for Kyle being secured alive, that's also unclear. It's a gamble, but… seems like our best bet.

"Please, give me one hour. After I will meet you at the airlock and surrender without violence. I give you my word!" Kyle pleaded.

"We'll give you the hour. My squad and I will be waiting by the airlock. If you're not with us by then, we will be forced to take you away by force," I warned. A look of relief washed over the Major's features.

"Thank you, Commander. I shall live up to my word." We began to return to the airlock.

"You sure that's a good idea, Skipper?" Ashley asked back on the squad comms.

"Ran through the options in my head. It'll be messy if we just try and take him now. But if we go back to the airlock, we could all push together if he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain. Either way, it's our best option," I explained. "Wrex, Liara, I want you to meet us inside the bunker. Tali, Garrus, keep watch for now." I then sent a message to the Alliance Cruiser. Kyle should be in custody in an hour. Or a firefight will be required. I requested that they send their team down to be there at the hour, and to also bring an environmental suit, just in case. I got confirmations, and we were left with no choice, but to wait.

As the hour started getting closer to its end, the nerves rose. I was still confident that Kyle would keep his word, but that doesn't stop the mind from running through 'what ifs.' Maybe they'd charge us by surprise for an ambush. But… would they have done that already? Were they just preparing? As the Alliance squad arrived to join us down here, environment suit ready for the Major, there was a minute left on the clock. The door opened, and we almost raised our rifles, but saw that it was simply Major Kyle standing there, hands raised in the air. I breathed a sigh of relief. And he was already in his own environment suit. The sergeant of the Alliance squad just cuffed him, read him his rights, and we all went on our way.


	18. Ghosts of the Past

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Few things I want to talk about. First, (assuming I haven't forgotten like an idiot.) You should see a new thumbnail for the story! Just like the one made for Into the Great Unknown, it was made by my good friend and editor, River. So, thanks to her. Second, I want to address the most recent Guest review, as I can't directly respond to them. If you want to look at it yourself, but there's been more guest reviews since, well, just look. It'll be pretty damn easy to figure out which one it is. So! First, I find it rather short sighted of you to judge my true views when you had only read 8 chapters, and I have just posted the 18th. Shepard does not have the benefits of knowing how she is across the trilogy like we do. Thus, he must have a corresponding opinion. And, as you'll see in this chapter (which I had gotten the section I'm referring to done on Monday) That Shepard's opinion of her is able to change. If a character starts with negative traits, but later loses them in place of more positive traits, then while they have the negative traits, others must react to them as such. And remember, I have not added many negative lines to Ashley that she does not say in game. If anyone has concerns with how I'm doing with a specific character, I encourage them to message me privately and directly, and ask me, politely. So that we can have a genuine discussion. If you instead immediately begin insulting me when you've barely seen my story truly progress, then you'll just end up pissing me off and getting me defensive. So! Apologies to the rest of you all, and I hope you enjoy tonight's chapter!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

At the moment, the Normandy had no tasks to complete. And I was simply doing the rounds. And the elevator to the cargo bay just finished bringing me down. Ashley was the first to look up and notice, and, surprisingly, she waved me down. So, I walked up to her, and she set her rifle down.

"You know… I was wrong about T'Soni. Wrong for being suspicious about her." I kept my reaction internal. I was surprised. Very surprised. And I was happy to hear it. "I saw what she was like when we were nearing Benezia. When we fought her, and… after. That's not something you can fake. She was hurting, and I was wrong to doubt her, Commander." I gave Ashley a smile.

"I'm happy to hear that, Williams. And I'm also happy you saw fit to tell me. If you haven't already, I think you should tell her that. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to her."

"I… suppose I should. I guess I have been a bit cold," she chuckled awkwardly. Now just need to help her do the same with the others.

"Speaking of being cold, I've been the same with you. We started off on the wrong foot, and kept stumbling for a while. Want to start again? Ashley?" I offered her a hand. Ashley smiled back, and we shook.

"I'd like that, Shepard. Now, unless a combat drop comes up, I'm off duty until tomorrow. I was already going to have a small drink for a bit of a celebration. You interested?"

"You're off duty? Not critical about it, just wondering why," I asked.

"It's armistice day. End of the First Contact war. My family always marks it." Huh. Oh! Right! It is.

"And why do you celebrate it?"

"It's less of a celebration in our family, and more of an obligation." she raised a brow. As if she was a bit hesitant to bring the next part up. "Don't tell me you don't know about my family, Commander… My previous ones always find out. Is it not in my files?"

"I actually haven't read your file. I normally find that they don't always provide the most accurate idea of someone. I'll read if given reason, and I do normally read someone's military service, but that's it," I shrugged. "Did see a lot of boring crap assignments though."

"And there's a reason for them…" she sighed. She glanced at Wrex and Garrus and continued with a lower voice. "I'm General William's granddaughter." Well. I can't believe I didn't figure that out sooner. And this explains her less than stellar opinion of non-humans. "The only human ever to surrender to an alien race."

"Always thought that was unfair. First off, none of our colonies were really prepared. Second, it was an overwhelming force anyway. Third, he saved the lives of the Colonists and his men by surrendering. Fourth and final, there hasn't been many chances for the same. Most of our other battles have just been either we have the upper hand, or a foe who wouldn't accept surrender anyway. And it explains why whenever I see you you're either exercising or cleaning your weapons."

"Thanks Commander, glad to hear you think that way. As for the latter, my dad always told me 'A Williams needs to be better than the best, if only to avoid suspicion.'" She then smirked. "Takes a special kind of thick headed to march into a job where your family's blacklisted. Did it anyway. I won't let our name go down the gutter. Granddad deserved better."

"Never liked when people treat someone like shit because of what an Ancestor did or didn't do," I remarked. "Come on, I got a stash in my quarters, might have something better than what you had."

"Thanks Commander," Ashley followed me back to the elevator. "You know, you're the first CO who hasn't cared."

"Guess I'm a man of firsts, then," I joked, earning a laugh from her as the elevator ascended. When it stopped, we went right for my quarters and she sat at the table as I pulled out a bottle of whiskey, aged for a few years, of course, and getting two small glasses.

"You're right, this is better than what I had planned," she chuckled. I poured the drink in both glasses, and Ashley raised the glass high in the air. "To granddad."

"To a good General who cared of the lives of his men," I joined the cheer. We clinked our glasses and knocked it back. The whiskey burning the throat a bit.

"Thanks Commander, this was nice," Ashley smiled again.

"Don't worry about it. And, hey, since we're starting over, Shepard," I offered.

"Thanks, Shepard." Ashley took her leave, and just as the door opened for her to leave, Wrex was waiting there. Surprised her for a moment, but she squeezed by.

"Come on in, Wrex." He stepped in and took a seat. The chair creaking underneath him. I gestured for him to speak.

"Remember the story about my father?" I nodded in response. "Well. I've had some unfinished business with my family. Before I left, I made an oath to my father's father. I would recover my family's battle armor. It was taken from him after the uprising."

"Just curious here, but why was the armor so important to him?" I asked curiously.

"To me it's just an old useless relic. But for him, consider it mostly to be Krogan tradition. Beyond that, it was worn by five generations of my family. And that's before the war. It's rightfully mine."

"I take it you found it?" The old Krogan nodded.

"Turian military took it at first. Not being allowed weapons or armor after the war. Now, it's in the hands of Tonn Actus," Wrex growled the name. "Turian scum that collects relics from the war. Selling Krogan artifacts stolen from my people." Yeah, he definitely still cares about his people. Even if he won't admit it. "He has several bases where he stores his shit. Fortified and guarded. My payment for killing Fist just came through, and now I know which one. I want you to drop me off at the nearest port. I'll head out, take it back, and meet back up with you," Wrex explained.

"No need. We'll head there right now. Just tell us where," I offered. I saw a start of surprise in Wrex's eyes, and then the ghost of a smile. Which he quickly hid.

"Phoenix system. Argos Rho. Tuntau. I'll give the planetary coordinates to Joker."

"Sounds like a plan, Wrex."

 **Urdnot Wrex**

It had been hours since I had that talk with Shepard. But now we had arrived in orbit around Tuntau, and they were running checks on the Mako. For what seems like the first time, the crew compartment isn't quiet. Williams and T'Soni are holding a conversation. Kaidan seems just as surprised. But I wasn't listening to them. I was listening to the checks. Waiting for Joker's countdown. I want my damn armor. If it turns out I get to kill Tonn Actus here? All the better. Finally, Joker gave the countdown, and the Mako began to plummet to the planet's surface. Not a cloud in the sky, so were getting a pretty good look at the land. Which, wasn't very much. We were landing on a relatively small island. Has some mountains and rocky terrain, but all surrounded by water.

"If it wasn't for the crappy atmo, this would be my kind of planet!" Shepard remarked.

"Get you a fruity drink with a little umbrella? Commander?" Kaidan smirked.

"Sounds damn good to me. Give it some alcohol, get us some beach towels, and even a snack bar along the beach? Paradise," Shepard responded.

"I'm in! Wouldn't mind a tan," Ashley joined in.

"That sounds like it would be interesting to try," Liara mused.

"What are you talking about?" Tali asked curiously. Not fully understanding.

"Heaven, Tali. That's what we're talking about. Oh, should probably watch the fall," he chuckled. Activating the thrusters so we could have as gentle a landing as this thing would give us.

"Spirits, please, do not ever forget the fact we're falling from low orbit when we have a Mako mission. If I die because you were too busy talking to watch our fall, I will find you in the afterlife and send you skydiving without a parachute," Garrus grumbled.

"I'd already be dead, dipshit. I'd just enjoy the fall!" Shepard laughed. Garrus just grumbled some more as Shepard began driving.

Leading the Mako towards a rocky slope. The ground along the way was a mix of salt and water, but the layer of each was very thin. Somewhere up ahead, there'd be a crater that houses the facility with my armor. Not a minute later, Shepard activated the thrusters for a fraction of a second, and we fell down into the very crater. A two-story building poking out of the other side of the crater, dug into the rock. We hit the ground, and I saw a few small walls. The Mako's gun had two short bursts, and then all went quiet. Shepard ordered us all out. I chuckled as I saw that under one of our wheels was a crushed merc. And I recognized their blue and white armor.

"Looks like Actus hired the Blue Suns," I remarked.

"Mercs who double as a scum-ass gang, huh? Well, don't go easy on em then," Shepard ordered.

"Don't need to tell me twice, Commander," Garrus added.

I checked my shotgun again, and we entered the airlock. It ran its course, and we readied our weapons to enter the first room. There were a trio of Blue Suns inside. A Turian and two humans. They were playing a card game. We caught them completely off guard. The Turian saw us first, shouted, and reached for a gun on his back, but didn't reach it before a burst of AR gun fire impacting him center mass. Breaking through the shields and armor, causing him to fall to the ground, either dead or bleeding out. The two Humans stumbled, one of them falling to the ground. One tried to pull a knife and charge at Shepard, but a shotgun blast from Tali shredded him. Heh, figures she'd be the one. As for the final human, he was smart, and just threw his hands into the air. Shepard ordered Garrus to secure him and cuff him. The Turian took his pistol, the only gun the merc had on him, and removed both its ammo block and heat sink. Good thing the latter is so accessible for modifications. Both pieces were tossed away as Garrus cuffed him to the table. So, we went further in.

The next room was like a small museum. All Krogan relics. Guns, knives, old statues, ammo from artillery. And a lot of Blue Suns mercs. They were still caught off guard, but they were more battle ready than the others. Garrus, Shepard, Kaidan, and Ashley managed to get one down each before they returned fire. Tali and I were too far range for our shotguns, and Liara still wasn't the best shot, so she prepared her biotics. I took cover, crouching down behind one of the displays, but my shields took fire, I looked up, and saw a second level, more Blue Suns looking down at us and shooting.

"Mercs above!" I called out, adjusting my position. They were looking down from the left side of the room when we entered from its right. So, we had to worry about our left side, and ahead. Though most of those ahead were already dead.

"Falling back to use my sniper!" Garrus stated into our squad comms. We covered him, and then, once he was in position, we started to push.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?!" A Turian voice demanded over an intercom.

"Actus! I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine! And I'm thinking I'll take your head with it!" I roared back.

"Fucking Krogan," Actus muttered, still broadcasting. "Kill them all!" I felt my anger rising.

There were barely any hostiles left down here, and they were dropping like flies. We need to get above. And I got a feeling that Tonn will be up there, somewhere. Normally, I hold back the rage. But now, not only do I want this fucker dead, but we need some Blood Rage to see us through quickly.

I roared and charged. Letting the rage flow but keeping a modicum of sensible control. Enough to direct me. Keep me from needlessly taking more bullets than I needed. I ran for a staircase at the left side of the room. Running straight through the open. I glowed blue with biotics, giving myself a barrier atop of my shields, but still, before I reached the stairs, I felt rounds strike me. Yet at the same time, I didn't feel them at all. Most struck at the top of my hump or my back. My thick armor and hide absorbing most of the damage. I roared again, forcing myself to stop, for just a moment, until my HUD confirmed my shields were recharging again. I charged up the stairs, shotgun at the ready, biotics still glowing. There were a pair of guards waiting at the top level, a Human and Batarian. But I was ready for them. I could smell them. Smell their fear.

I fired my shotgun at the Human, shredding him to pieces, and smacked the Batarian's gun out of the way. I grabbed him by the collar, slammed my forehead into his, spun him around, and held him tight against me as a meat shield as I ran out. He was screaming and struggling as I checked right, finding nothing but wall, and saw a line of half a dozen more mercs firing. Shields wouldn't last. I fired my shotgun at the closest merc, a Turian, and grabbed the next closest, another Turian, with my biotics, lifting him up and slamming him into the third, a Human. The force of which killed both. I heard the rest, barely. They were cursing loudly, yet to me, it was faded. The Batarian in my grip was taking bullets. Crying out in pain. I tossed him, with muscle, not biotics, towards the three that remained. Two jumped out of the way, and the final wasn't in the way to begin with. I was still running. The next closest was still trying to stand back up when I reached this Human woman. My boot came crashing down on the back of her skull without a second thought. The second, another Turian, was just barely within reach. I pulled my knife from my waist, sliced off his hand, and drove it into his chest. And I charged towards the final merc, another Human. He had dropped his weapon and was crying out. But I didn't care. I grasped his head in my hand, my two fingers jamming into his eyes while the thumb just grabbed his head. He screamed into my palm. My grip was iron. I lifted my leg to his chest and kicked it out. The body went flying into the wall. The head remained in my hand.

My breathing started to slow. Large, deep breaths. I walked to the edge of the upper level, looking down at the rest of the squad. I held the Human's head high, blood still dripping. And I roared again, before dropping it. My vision started to clear, and my hearing returned to normal.

"Holy fucking shit, man," Shepard exclaimed. It was then that regular feeling returned to my body, and I grunted. I could feel the bullet wounds. Some at my back, some at my front, some on my arms. But I would be alright. I walked away from the edge to retrieve my knife and put it back in its sheath. There shouldn't be any more guards. I walked through the door at the end of the upper level, beside the now slumped headless corpse. There was a corridor. Some smaller rooms, most of them living space of some kind. Kitchen, dormitory, that kind of thing. But at the end, an office. Actus' office. Slowly, calmly, I entered. Actus was behind his desk, pistol out, and his arm was shaky. This Turian wasn't a soldier. Not truly. I reached for my knife, and he shot, the round impacting my shields. I glowed blue and then used my biotics to pin him against the wall as I finished drawing my knife.

"No, Do-" he cried out before I used the wall like a cutting board. My knife slicing through his neck. The force of my strike managed to break through the plates at the back of his neck too. I pulled out a small sack I had packed for this, and stuffed his head inside, hanging it by my belt. The material of the sack would prevent any smell, but it would still be stained blue with Turian blood. Along the wall beside his body, was a large metal container. Though there was a kind of viewport at the top, allowing its contents to partly be visible. On a hunch, I looked inside. That was it. The armor of my father's father.

"We're clear. Found the armor. Need a tech to get at it," I grumbled into comms.

"How bad is it up there?" Shepard asked. Doubt it's going to stop me from getting help. But it might change who comes to help.

"One lost his hand, you saw one lose his head. Actus did too, but that was clean. Blood rage had died down," I answered.

"Right. I'll handle it." A minute later, Shepard stepped through the door, while I was leaning against the wall beside the container.

"Remind me never to get you angry," Shepard remarked. I just shrugged.

"Their position up there would have slowed us down a while. Someone would have gotten hurt. This way, we tore through, and the only one who got hurt is the one who needs the least medical attention."

"Speaking of… you gonna need Chakwas?"

"No. I already got some Medi-gel. Body will take care of the rest." Shepard then glanced at the sack around my belt, and Actus' body.

"Got a trophy huh?"

"Yep. Problem?" I asked.

"Alliance rules don't apply to you. I may not like it, but, keep it out of the eyes of the crew, stash it somewhere off the ship next we dock, and I'll allow it." I nodded my thanks. "This the one?" I just rapped my hand against the side to confirm. Shepard activated his Omni-tool and got to work. The container was opened in seconds. Shepard stepped aside so I could look upon the old armor. It was colored red, like my armor. Clan Urdnot's color. And the shoulders were emblazoned with the symbol of clan chieftain. Symbols I had painted over on my own armor. Gently, I lifted the cuirass up and out of the container, holding it out in front of me. I barked a laugh.

"Can't believe my ancestors wore this piece of shit. But, at least I've got it back." I couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at the ends of my lips.

"Glad we could help, Wrex." Shepard patted me on the shoulder. That almost made me laugh again. I turned one of my eyes to look back at him, allowing the smile to get slightly wider.

"I might be starting to like you, Shepard."

"Yeah, well, I think I have that effect on people," he shrugged off.

I looked back at the armor and ran a hand across it. I couldn't help the thoughts that followed. Was I wrong to leave Tuchanka? Am I really content to just give up on them? To watch my people die? Damn it. I tried once, and it failed. But… I want to try again. I have wanted to try again for a long time. Maybe… maybe I should. Maybe I can unite my people. Lead them down the right path again. Maybe I can be the one that leads my people out of the gutter, away from extinction. I shook my head clear of those thoughts. Later. I'll think about it more later. I clipped the helmet to my belt, and held the cuirass under my left arm, then took hold of the greaves under my right.

"Carry the gauntlets?" I asked.

"Sure." Shepard grabbed the pair, much easier to hold than any one piece that I am, and we walked back down to the crew. Upon passing the merc, we just released him. Shepard suspected he wasn't that fond of this line of work anymore, and we returned to the Mako, and left this planet.

 _Maybe we aren't lost…_

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Commander, something uncomfortable just came up," Hackett began. We had only been back on the ship for five minutes before the call came in. Hackett began to explain. "During the First Contact war, we fired espionage probes into Turian space. A lot of them. And plenty of them were blind fires. We just received a 'mission complete' burst from one." Hm. Shouldn't be a huge problem. Find the probe, disable it so it's not wrongfully spying on anyone.

"And what's the catch that makes this require a Spectre's attention?" I questioned. There must be some complication that prevents a standard Alliance squad from dismantling it.

"Believe me if it was just something so simple I wouldn't have bothered you with it. When these probes were launched, we had no idea who we were truly up against. Didn't want to risk our tech being examined. It has a demo nuke built in. 20-kiloton tactical fusion warhead. Small relative to a fusion warhead, but it's about the same size as the one dropped on Hiroshima."

"Well… that does complicate things. I'm going to require disarm instructions. I wasn't trained against the older models."

"Of course. It's uploading now. Find the probe and disarm it before anyone finds and tampers with it. We do not want that going off. And I do have one final request." Request? Not an order? "These probes have been classified for twenty-six years. I'm not asking you to keep the non-alliance crew out of the loop, but I would ask that you convey the Alliance's wishes that they not spread information of this event and allow us to handle the declassification."

"I can do that, sir," I nodded.

"Much appreciated, Commander. Your ship is the only one that can do this quickly and quietly. It's in the Voyager cluster, opposite direction from Turian space, I know, but like I said. Blind fire. The planet is Agebinium. It's an uninhabitable world in the Amazon system. There are no habitable worlds in the system, and no records of any inhabitants of the system. Doesn't mean there aren't miners or pirates, unfortunately." Hackett warned.

"We'll keep our eyes open nonetheless, Admiral."

"Understood. Hackett out." With the conversation over, I quickly opened the defusing procedure that Hackett had sent. The probe has three hardpoints. One on each end, and the center. These must all be defused to make detonation impossible. If the bomb is activated, there is a ten second countdown to detonation. So that means there won't be time to waste. Someone needs to be working on each hardpoint right away, under that scenario. As for deactivating them, it's in fact a simple process. Three wires in each hardpoint. Different color. Cut the red wire in each. I have little doubt that the reason defusing the bomb is so simple is because with a ten second countdown, it doesn't need to be complicated. One wouldn't know it was a fusion nuke until it was armed. Now, to talk to the ground team about this. I activated the intercom.

"All members of the ground team, report to my quarters. Joker, I want us en route to the coordinates I'm sending now." The pilot acknowledged.

Wrex and Kaidan entered first, followed by Liara. Garrus, Ashley, and Tali arrived together, likely having taken the elevator all at the same time. With everyone present, I could begin. "Just got word from Hackett on our next mission. The reason I called you all here, is because of two reasons. First, is that Hackett wanted me to pass on a request from the Alliance. Essentially just to not talk about the mission, allow the Alliance to handle its declassification. Now, I wouldn't expect you to agree to that without knowing just what the mission is. Which we do." I enlarged the display on my Omni-tool to display the diagram of the probe that was sent as part of the defusing instructions. "This here is an Alliance spy probe launched back during the First Contact War. Which, makes it all the more comical as it's the anniversary of the end. Thanks for that reminder earlier, Ashley," I chuckled. At the remark about the anniversary, Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, and Wrex had all released some form of chuckle or laugh. "The catch, is that the probe is armed with a fusion warhead, that, if armed, has a ten second countdown and has a yield about the same as one of the fission nukes used in Humanity's second World War. Fortunately, the disarm process is simple. Who here has demolitions training?" I asked.

Ashley, Garrus, and Kaidan raised their hands.

"Good. Garrus, in case it's in a hot zone and for some reason, either Kaidan, Ashley, or myself are unable to work on defusing the bomb, you will take our place. The three of you, take five minutes later to study this. Honestly you just need to pay attention to which wire to cut. The red one. If it helps, try repeating 'red not dead,' in your head or something," I shrugged.

"Where has the bomb landed? Commander?" Tali questioned.

"That's where we're lucky with this. It's landed on an uninhabitable world in an uninhabitable system. No settlements anywhere that we know of. That being said, it's not impossible that rogue miners or pirates found it. Specifically, the planet is Agebinium in the Amazon system. Voyager cluster."

"Wait, wasn't Voyager where we fought Cerberus?" Ashley remembered.

"It was. I would also not be surprised if they were interested in getting their hands on this. For some reason or other. In the meantime, we should arrive in the morning. Any questions?" No one spoke. "Then dismissed." Tali, I noticed, did not move to leave. Did she hear back from the Admirals?

"I received word back from the Migrant Fleet. First, auntie Raan delivered the Admiralty's response to your request." First? What else do they have? Tali activated her Omni-tool and flipped it's display so that the video message was facing me. There was a single Quarian woman sat at a desk. Her cloth was a dark brown instead of Tali's purple, but I couldn't make out what the pattern was. Certainly not Tali's pattern, I can tell that much.

"Commander Shepard. My name is Admiral Shala' Raan Vas Tonbay, speaking on behalf of the Migrant Fleet and the Admiralty board," she greeted with a clearly older voice. I'd place it as sounding like a woman in her late forties to early sixties. "Being that I am the one who brought your request to the attention of the board, I am also the one to deliver a response, as is custom. After a thorough check of your history and service, in addition to both a surprising and impressive judgement of character on Tali' Zorah's part, we have concluded that you are an individual we would be willing to aid and consider working with in the future. Unfortunately, however, our own knowledge of the Mu relay is both limited, and likely, unhelpful. We have its location, though never saw fit to use it. That is information which you already possess. We also understand the Mu Relay to be a secondary class. Perhaps this is something you did not know, but the Board recognizes this is information that you would not have had difficulty in learning on your own, and for that, we apologize we could not have helped you more in your investigation, and conflict against the Geth."

"Well, least we know the Relay can go anywhere within a certain radius, rather than one specific point almost anywhere in the Galaxy," I muttered to myself, shrugging. Maybe the Council's research team they sent there could learn more.

"Now I would like to convey a small message, speaking for myself, and not the Admiralty Board." she leaned forward, hands clasped on the table. I couldn't tell, not fully, but I think the expression on her face softened. There was a slight… softening, lowering of the eyes, somewhat, that gave me the impression. "Thank you, for saving Tali's life, Commander. Thank you for believing her, and for offering her a place among your crew. And finally, I thank you for showing her respect. Respect and decency are rare luxuries for a pilgrim, and to hear that not all sympathy has left the Galaxy is relieving. Please, take care of my niece, Commander. Thank you." The message went silent. Tali sighed.

"I miss her…"

"Hey," I softly called. "It's alright," I gave her a smile. "You'll see her again soon enough." I think Tali smiled behind that mask. She reacted the same way as whenever else I've reassured her or just said something nice. The same hint of softening features that Raan had, though I had an additional benefit of being face to face with Tali. I could just barely the flesh by her small nose tug at itself, like it was forming a grin.

"I hope it goes without saying that you also have my thanks for your kindness, and, well, everything. Including Chef," she awkwardly chuckled.

"You don't need to thank me, Tali. I'd be a shit CO if I didn't respect those under my command and make sure they were taken care of," I brushed it off.

"Well, then you're getting my thanks whether you like it or not."

"And then I'll keep refusing your thanks. Whether you like it or not," I teased back. We continued a playful stare at one another for about five seconds before we began chuckling. "Now, you had a second message?" She seemed to get more serious. Sitting straighter.

"I do. This one is from my father. He requested that I not open it until you'd be able to see it." I gestured for Tali to go ahead, and she activated the message. This time the Quarian in the video we were watching was that of a man, obviously. Same patterns as Tali's cloth, but not the same color. Instead, a darker brown like Raan.

"Commander Shepard, I am Admiral Rael' Zorah vas Rayya. Tali' Zorah's father. I extend my gratitude for saving her life, and for treating her with the respect due to a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. Continue to provide this respect, treat her well, and keep her safe. If you fail in this, I assure you the Migrant Fleet will demand an investigation as to the cause. My daughter will not let you down. Don't let her down in return. That is all, Commander. Goodbye." The message ended.

"Hmph. I think he snuck a compliment towards me in there," Tali murmured bitterly.

"Sorry."

"No, don't be." Tali sighed. "Like I said, he's always been this way." In that moment, I got a sudden urge to do… something. Something that would have proved wrong any of her self-doubts and enforced her confidence. But… what? And, less than a second later I was calmed by self-control as well as the wonder as to what brought that about so quickly. It was then that my stomach decided to remind me it had not eaten in a while.

"Uh… what was that?" Tali asked, confused, and a bit nervous, perhaps suspecting some creature lurked in here.

"Just my stomach. Been a while since I ate," I shrugged.

"Your stomach? It made… that noise?"

"Do… your stomachs not do that?"

"No… no they don't…"

"Huh," I started to chuckle. "Biology. What a thing, eh?"

"It is… interesting, to be sure. And I suppose I'm ready for a meal as well." Tali stood from her seat.

"Not unlikely the others are there. Let's join em," I suggested. We left my quarters, and sure enough, the crew was sat down. Chef cooking a meal, and he already had something in the sterilizer being cooked. Like it's a kind of surprise. We took our seats at the table.

"So, Garrus, got any stories from C-Sec?" Kaidan asked.

"Let me think of one that stands out… hm…" Garrus mused, leaning back as he thought. He then refocused. "That's a good one. I remember this Salarian geneticist I was sent to investigate," Garrus began leaning towards the table. Kaidan and Liara had leaned in closer as well, like children being told a story by grandpa. Ashley and Wrex were listening but laying back in their chairs. "This case was a bit disturbing, I warn you."

"Come on, tell us," Kaidan urged.

"You asked for it," Garrus shrugged. "So, my job at the time was tracking black market trade on the Citadel. Most of it's harmless, nothing I needed to pursue. My group specifically kept an eye out for dangerous activity, while small harmless contraband was left to interns and new recruits. Anyways, during that time, I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Mostly organs. We usually get some of those, but not numbers like this. Weren't sure if there was a new black-market lab, or some freak harvesting organs from citizens."

"Keelah, that's horrible," Tali murmured.

"You haven't heard of the secret third option we didn't know about yet," Garrus remarked.

"Goddess, you said you've seen that sort of thing before?" Liara added.

"It's more common to see a lab selling unwanted parts through the market. Obviously, that's not as bad as the psychos. Let's see, it was… my first year on the job. There was this Elcor diplomat we caught. Hacking people up, selling their organs. Had the station in a panic."

"Sounds like an Elcor Jack the Ripper," Ashley stated. Managed to get a chuckle out of Kaidan and I. Before the non-humans could ask, I answered their question.

"Serial killer from a few centuries back. Ripped open, vertically, women out alone in the streets of one of our major cities at night. Killed at least five, never caught."

"Guessing this was before you had actual forensics huh?" Garrus asked. I just nodded the answer. "Anyways, my case wasn't nearly as clear cut as that Elcor. More going on than we first realized. First, we did standard procedure. Get a sample, run a DNA test. Then, it went to anything but standard. The match led us to a Turian who was still very much alive and very convinced that he had not lost his liver. So, I did some digging. Learned that this Turian briefly worked for a Geneticist. Dr. Saleon. I went to his lab hoping to find evidence of any cloned organ development. But there was nothing. No Salarian hearts, no Turian livers, not even one single Krogan testicle." Everyone but Wrex then visibly cringed, as he just laughed.

"Why would anyone want… that?" Tali questioned, very clearly disgusted.

"Some idiots believe transplanting them increase our virility. Counteract the Genophage. Never works. They try anyway," Wrex remarked.

"Demand has always been high. Ten thousand creds just for one. Forty thousand credits for a full set!" Garrus exclaimed. Yeah that's uh… that's more than I ever needed to know.

"What the fuck?!" Ashley shouted. "Four? Krogan have four? Wait, why am I even asking I don't want to know damnit!" Ashley groaned, and caused Wrex to laugh harder and louder.

"Can we please move on from this?" Tali pleaded, her hands covering her mask as Liara was just blushing a very deep shade of purple against her blue skin.

"Sure. So, back to Saleon. I brought in some of his employees for interrogation, see if I could get em to talk. While I was doing that, came across something suspicious. One of them started bleeding profusely during the interview. We offered to patch him up, he got frantic. Freaked out. Had to tranq him. I ordered a full exam, and what our medics found was... well, something else. We found incisions all over their bodies. Some of them fresh. And that was our big break. These people weren't just his employees, but test tubes! Walking, living, test tubes!"

"Sick fuck," I murmured.

"Cloned their organs right inside their own bodies. Harvested them, sold them off. And that's not even the worst part. Most victims were poor, and so he paid them a small percentage of sales, but only if the organs were good. If not, if they didn't grow properly, he'd just leave it in them. Most of those victims were a mess, but only on the inside. Absolutely hidden."

"Well, what happened to the bastard? You bag him?" Ashley demanded to know. Garrus looked down. I saw some bitter anger in him. There's the answer.

"Never caught him. Just like your Jack. He ran, blew his lab up, took several of his employees, and headed for the nearest dock. Stole a ship, and by the time I found out he was already leaving. Threatened to kill the hostages if we tried to stop him. I tried to order Citadel defenses to shoot him down, but C-Sec headquarters countermanded my order." Not a choice I agree with, but, I also see that he appears… conflicted. I suspect it has something to do with the lesson from X57. He was considering that viewpoint now. "Worried about hostages and civilian casualties if the ship blew so close to the station. Military tried to catch him, but he got away. Nearly quit because of that. I… I just wish I could have stopped him."

"You have any idea what happened to him?" I asked, taking a serious tone.

"Sent out feelers from time to time. Thought I found something a while back. Changed ships, changed his name to Dr. Heart, sick joke no doubt. Told the military, but they weren't convinced. I still have the transponder frequency."

"We'll do the next mission and bring that son of a bitch in," I offered. Garrus' eyes went wide, and then he seemed to grin.

"I was hoping you'd offer, Commander. If it's him, I need to be there."

"And you will be," I nodded. It was then that Chef brought us our plates. Food all looked good, but, there was this story.

"I… think I've lost my appetite," Tali murmured apologetically.

She was not the only one to politely decline a meal that night.


	19. Loose Ends

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a small thing I want to clear up about what you're going to see here. You may all well remember that in ME1, Elanos Haliat refers to Humanity as some other species, rather than his own, despite his model being Human. You may also remember that he wore no helmet, on a planet with an unbreathable atmosphere, and a temperature too high for survival. Finally, that Elanos Haliat does not sound like a Human name. Well, I did some digging to the Wiki, and there it confirmed that this was indeed all a small mistake on Bioware's part. Elanos Haliat is supposed to be a Turian. So, that's what you're going to see here. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

"And they called Mars the red planet," I joked. Agebinium was close to its home star, Amazon. A red giant. It bathes the planet in a red glow. The sky is red, the massive sun taking up most of the sky is red, and it makes the ground look red. As for us, we were in the Mako, and had already touched down on the planet's surface. We were just making our way to the probe's coordinates.

"I wonder what a bull would do if we brought it here," Ashley chuckled.

"Heart attack? Aneurysm? Either way, I wouldn't hesitate to cut and cook that bull the moment it fell over," Kaidan added.

"Damn, you're making me hungry Alenko. We should see what kind of steak Chef can cook," I suggested.

"What's this about?" Garrus asked, probably raising a brow as he looks through the gun sights.

"Just another Earth animal. Gets pissed off when it sees the color red. Charges," I hastily explained.

"Sounds like a Krogan," Wrex remarked.

"You're more right about that than you think," I laughed. I continued driving, there was a large mountain on our right side. But the signal from the probe is coming from… below? Shit. I drove a bit faster around the other side of the mountain. Maybe there's just a crater? When we turned the bend, however, instead of a crater, we instead saw the entrance to a mine. Yet no vehicles waited outside.

"Uh. That's not something we expected, is it?" Tali murmured.

"No, no it's not," I answered quietly. I parked the Mako at the base of the ramp leading up into the entrance. "Everyone out! And move quickly, these people have no idea what it is they have." Shit, shit, shit, shit. I really hope they don't set the damn thing off. We rushed out of the Mako and I rushed everyone along into the mine. I couldn't pace, as I badly wanted, as the elevator down didn't have enough room for that. But I was tapping my foot near endlessly.

"Fucking finally," I muttered as the doors opened. Some small caverns had been dug out, with some crates or metal boxes full of rocks. But…

"Where is everyone?" Liara questioned. I got a bad feeling about this.

"Ready weapons, move in, don't slow down," I ordered. We tightened our formation and continued to move. Following the signal. Into a slightly larger cavern with some abandoned mining equipment, and at the end of that cavern, we came to a fork in the road, so to speak. One passageway whose entrance was locked off, and the other, unlocked. A bit unsettling was that the unlocked one was where the signal was coming from. In the cavern it led to, a small one about twenty yards long, was the probe, a bit dented, and sitting right in the middle of the cavern.

"It shouldn't be active. Let's disarm it, and-" there was a large boom, and the cavern shook. Dust and small rocks, pebbles more like, fell from the cavern ceiling. There's no doubt about it now. This is a goddamn trap. A holo-projector lit up beside the probe. Revealing a Turian man. His helmet was off, which meant he was either off-world, or in either some form of vehicle or building on the planet's surface.

"Shepard. At last," he sneered, highly proud of himself. The Turian wore no colony markings, so that makes it even more obvious he's some kind of outlaw who rejects Turian society.

"At last? Are you just re-enacting old bullshit clichés or am I supposed to know you?" I questioned. I glanced back at Tali, Ashley, and Garrus, and nodded my head towards the bomb. The meaning clear. Disarm that shit immediately. They nodded and moved aside. The way these things work, I can see only him, and he can see only me.

"You don't remember me?" The Turian began to chuckle. "No matter. I remember you. I never forget anyone I've fought. My name, is Elanos Haliat!" He spread his arms wide as if expecting someone to react. No one made a sound. No one reacted to his name at all. There was silence for five seconds.

"Again, let me ask. Who the fuck are you?" Now that seemed to make him angry.

"Who do you think runs the Terminus Clans, Shepard? Hm? Thousands of pirates, slavers, criminals of every stripe?"

"Whoever's strongest and or has the most creds. Pretty sure that's Aria T'Loak," I shrugged. He sneered now, with fury.

"No! That bitch, she took my place as leader. What she has done is nothing compared to me! The one who leads is the one who has killed the most men! Seizes the most ships! Pillages the most colonies! You ruined me, Shepard! Ruined my reputation! All T'Loak does is sit comfy on her throne on Omega! She does not fight and seize ships! She does not raid colonies! That was me!" He practically screeched with fury. "Seven years ago, I was the strongest. I used my influence to assemble a fleet! We would drive your kind out of the verge!" Fucking. What. My eyes set firm on his hologram, I clenched my fists, and cold fury set upon my brow. Though Haliat would not see, thanks to the helmet.

"You. It was fucking you. The fucking blitz," I snarled. Haliat's fury died down, and now he grinned, now that I knew who he was, I suppose he felt fucking validated.

"I was the motivator. The instigator. The one who promised glory and riches for sacking the largest Human Colony in the cluster. The one blamed when it failed. Failed because of you! Your damnable holding action!"

"I wasn't the only one holding the line that day, you son of a bitch. I was just the last one standing. Those thousands of innocents," I began, stepping closer to the hologram. "Men, women, children. Now I know who exactly to blame for all those deaths. Now I know who to blame for the death of my fucking father."

"Ah, yes. Your father. The Scum died just as we were forced to retreat. One down, two to go." Oh now you've fucking done it.

"Let me tell you something. Now that I know who's responsible. I am going to hunt you down. And when I find you, there will not be a single force in the fucking universe that can stop me. You will learn just how weak you are. Your defeat will be humiliating. And final. I will put a bullet in your fucking head. And that is a goddamn promise," I growled. Haliat just smiled and held up his right hand. There was a small device in his grasp. I glanced at the three who I ordered to work on the bomb. They all stood and gave me a nod. It was disarmed.

"That's a promise you won't be able to keep," Haliat chuckled. "Goodbye, Shepard." He pressed a button on the detonator. Waited for a second, and then a look of confusion took over his features. He then began pressing the detonator again repeatedly.

"Do you take me for a fucking idiot, Haliat? I already knew there was a bomb on that probe. My squad already disarmed it. Now I'm coming for you."

"What? No! No, it matters little," Haliat tried to counter, but he was clearly nervous now. "You're still trapped in the mine! You can't get out!"

"We'll see about that." I shot the holo projector, killing the feed. "We're getting the fuck out of here." I began storming towards the way back to the larger cavern. Perhaps the locked passageway will get us out.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

Shepard was furious. Absolutely. He's trying to conceal, it, but it's not working. His fists have been clenched since the call with Haliat. His body is visibly tense, and he's just storming along. But I can't blame him for this fury. This man is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in a battle that Shepard was a part of. A battle that saw his father, who he was close to, die. I suspect that if my mother was killed by a person or the Geth rather than disease, it would bring about the same level of fury in both my father and I.

I just hope he doesn't do anything reckless to put himself in danger.

We had easily hacked into the controls for the previous locked passage way and it had eventually brought us to an elevator. One that had just stopped and released us out back onto the planet's surface. Specifically, atop the mountain that the mine was built into.

"Normandy? Normandy! Come in immediately!" Shepard demanded, not even giving Joker time to respond.

"We're here, Commander. What happened? Your signal went dark and then the Mako started moving."

"They took the fucking Mako too? God fucking damnit," Shepard growled. I glanced at the people beside me. Garrus and Kaidan glanced at each other and then me. Ashley and Liara seemed just as surprised. It seems as if he's even more furious than he ever got on X57. "Send me the damn coordinates to its location."

"Sending now," Joker responded formally. Not wanting to risk annoying him further.

"Great, bottom of the east side of the damn mountain," Shepard grumbled. "Let's get eyes on em." He hurried us along to the ridge, only slowing when we got close, as to not let them know we were already here. Shepard got down on his stomach and crawled to the ridge. "Yeah, they made camp. Mako's with em too. Looks like they towed it, not drove it, so don't expect fire from it. I see two Krogan, one at the left and right side of the camp. I see a Salarian, a few who might be either Human or Batarian. And the Motherfucker," Shepard ended quietly. "The Turian in the middle of the camp. That has to be him. Williams, Vakarian, spread out, take positions. But leave Haliat. He's mine." As ordered, Garrus and Ashley dispersed, while we remained away from the ledge. Shepard prepared his sniper but did not ready his aim. Perhaps trying not to provide a glint. "Careful not to give yourselves away. They're on alert. Don't take aim until I tell you. Vakarian, which side are you on?"

"The right, Commander, almost at a good angle," Garrus answered.

"You take the Krogan closest to you. I'll take the other. Aim to kill. Williams, you pick a target. Any target that's not the Turian," Shepard reminded.

"Understood, sir."

"Rest of you, stay ready. Once I'm confident that we've picked enough of them off, you will make your way down the slope and secure the Mako. Alenko can shoot. But, I say again. Haliat. Is Mine." Keelah, I don't like that he's… obsessing over him. Again, I can't blame him, but, it's unnerving. It's a great pain which grips him. Ashley and Garrus then confirmed they were in position.

"Have your targets picked?" Another confirmation. "Ready. Aim…" One last confirmation from both. "Fire." We could not hear the shots ring out, thanks to the atmosphere, but we did see Shepard's shoulder jerk from the power of the shot. "Fire at will! They're scrambling for cover."

"I still have an angle on some of them!" Garrus called out.

"So do I," Ashley added.

"Got another. Alenko! Take the others down to the Mako!" Shepard ordered. We ran forward to the ridge, and then immediately our pace slowed tenfold as we tried to descend while not falling over.

"Ah screw it," Kaidan murmured. He then changed the angle at which he was moving, the side of his feet along the mountainside, his right hand holding him steady, and the left aiming his pistol. Now he was sliding down, dirt being thrown up by the action. His pace increased significantly. I felt a moment of nerves at the chance of breaking something, but a bullet impacting the ground beside me was ample encouragement to do the same. My breathing was quick as I was initially still afraid of being sent into a tumble, but it began to steady as I got used to the sensation, used to the movement. I glanced up to see Liara sliding down ahead me, and Shepard was sliding down a short ways over her. Didn't realize he had joined us. I then glanced to the side and saw that Wrex was simply casually sliding down on his back. Not to the side, just, along his back. It almost looked comical.

Down at the base of the slope, Kaidan had just pushed off to quickly get him to his feet and ready to cover us in case anyone poked their heads out. Once we had all gotten to the base of the slope, we made our way to the Mako. But I noticed something almost immediately. Shepard wasn't with us, despite having been sliding down the slope. I looked back, and saw a Turian figure behind cover, his head to the side like he's trying to peer out the other side of cover. Haliat. But he doesn't see us? Shepard then moved around the opposite corner with his pistol out and shot at Haliat. One shot to the chest which just impacted shields. A second, which shattered them, and the bullet impacted the armor, though since it was slowed by the shields, likely caused no real damage. This all got Haliat's attention and he turned to face Shepard. Before he could fire, a round went into the Turian's right knee. The leg collapsed and Haliat's head shot up as if he was crying out in pain. Another bullet hit his other knee, and that leg too collapsed. A bullet impacted him right at the crotch, which caused him to fall onto his back, his hands going over the wound, a wound which made even me, a woman, cringe in pain. Shepard then moved over Haliat, placed his boot on his neck, aimed his pistol right at Haliat's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

"We're done here. Everyone to the Mako. Joker, get ready to pick us up," Shepard ordered quietly, turning to the Mako. I forgot that I had been staring the whole time. What reminded me, was noticing that I was the first thing Shepard saw when he turned back. And that he visibly slumped. I entered the Mako, and took my seat, waiting for him to enter, so I could perhaps talk to him. He shuffled awkwardly the moment he sat down.

"Sorry you had to see that," he murmured. It wasn't a merciful action, killing Haliat, at least not in that way. But it wasn't extreme either. He did not attempt to bring Haliat in alive, as I suspect he would have done in most other cases. But his action was that of… a person. Someone who was angry and hurting.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He let out a deep breath before he answered.

"I don't know. Until today, I had just pinned it on… pirates. No one specific. Seven years later, some asshole comes along, says it was all him? Well…" he trailed off. I suppose that dug up things once buried. "I almost expected to feel… something, when Haliat died. But… I felt nothing. Nothing changed. And-" Shepard caught himself. "Ah hell, sorry Tali, you don't need to hear about this…" he looked down sadly. He's still hurting. I don't want him to. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I asked because I wanted to hear it. To help you." He let out another deep breath.

"Thanks. But… I'll be fine with some time." I'm not sure what, but something made me doubt that. But, maybe I'm wrong. And there's nothing I can really say to get him to talk if he doesn't want to.

"Ok."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

As soon as we got back to the ship, I gave someone a call. The only other person out there who really needs to know about what happened on Agebinium. The call was marked as urgent. A minute later, the call was answered.

"John? What's wrong?" Mom asked as soon as she picked up. With the vid-call, I have little doubt that the expression on my face wasn't helping.

"Physically, everything's fine, mom. You somewhere alone? Sitting down?" Mom's features immediately turned to a mix of confusion and concern.

"Yes? I am. John what happened?"

"We just got back from a mission the Alliance sent us on. Long story short, it was a trap laid specifically for me by some Terminus scum. Led by a Turian named Elanos Haliat. And he… He was the man behind the Blitz. Led the attack," I revealed. Her eyes widened. "And I killed him. Me, not the squad. Me. I avenged dad." Mom leaned back in her seat, just letting it sink in.

"God… That's a lot to take in. But, you seem torn." Heh, not surprised I still turn out to be her chief concern.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a normal kill. I was… furious. And… well, I shot his kneecaps. His dick, even, before following it up with a clean headshot. And… nothing changed. Didn't even feel anything."

"Oh, John," Mom murmured. "You're only Human. And that… scumbag, killed your father. He killed the love of my life. I would have done the same. Maybe even worse. Ask almost anyone else, they'd have done the same," Mom tried to reassure.

"I didn't even consider bringing him alive to face justice. That's not me. And I'm supposed to be setting an example for my crew. What kind of example was that?" I questioned bitterly.

"An example of how you're just like them, John. And justice? He killed thousands with his attack on Elysium. Who knows what other horrible things he's done in Terminus! That would have been the death penalty. He faced justice, John." I let out a deep breath.

"Yeah…" I think Mom could tell that I still wasn't entirely better, but she knew that I just needed some time to mull it over.

"Have you reported to Hackett yet?"

"No, got to my quarters and called you right away."

"Hm," she managed a smirk. "Thank you, John. Let him know how the mission went. And I should return to my post. Love you."

"You too, mom." The call ended, and after another deep breath, I called the Admiral. Took a bit, but he answered.

"Commander, I trust the mission was a success?"

"Yes sir. Though there were some complications." Hackett raised a brow.

"Complications?"

"Yes. The probe had been moved into a mine, and when we got to the probe, there was a detonation, blocking off our entrance route. A trap, of course. We were then contacted by the one who laid that trap. And while I talked to him, my squad defused the nuke."

"Let him monologue while you got to work. So, who contacted you?"

"A Turian named Elanos Haliat. He had a personal bone to pick with me. He revealed that he was the one who led the attack on Elysium."

"Are you sure? This is new information to us. We've been led to believe that it was orchestrated by the Batarians."

"I was convinced by the fury he had against me, and it doesn't mean that the Batarians didn't contract or influence his decision, or supply him," I suggested.

"True," Hackett scratched his chin. "What followed?"

"We found an alternate exit out of the mine, and the fact that they had towed our Mako led us to their camp. Killed the pirates. Including Haliat."

"Good work then, Commander. This mission was more of a success than we anticipated. I'll arrange for a small team to retrieve the probe now that it's not a threat. And, Commander, I understand that this mission unexpectedly became personal for you. We're willing to let you have some time if you need it," Hackett offered.

"Thank you, sir. But I'll be fine."

"The offer stands. Hackett out." I leaned back in my chair and ran a hand across my face, taking a deep breath. Suppose we shouldn't waste time tracking down Saleon.

"Joker, get after the transponder frequency and coordinates Garrus gave you," I ordered.

"Already on it, Commander. It's out in the Kepler Verge. Few jumps away, but the system isn't the relay system. Should take six to eight hours."

"Understood." Well, fuck it. Might as well… I looked over at where I knew my little stash was. Felt the temptation of taking a few drinks. It'll be alright. Alcohol I can handle. I can control. I walked over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. Took the bottle, a glass, and returned to my table. I poured the glass, and downed it in one gulp, feeling the bourbon burn the back of my throat, and filling me with warmth. As I was pouring the second glass about two minutes later, my Omni-tool was pinged with a message. Just text. And from Wrex.

 _Some things a warrior just has to do. Believe me, don't give yourself too much shit. Compared to everyone else I know? That was merciful._ Couldn't help but chuckle and smirk. Damn, even the Krogan is looking out for me.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"That's him. It has to be," Garrus stated firmly. We had arrived in the system the transponder codes led us to. The Herschel system of the Kepler Verge. We ran a scan of the system for any ships and found a Kowloon modular conveyor. Human design and something often sold on the galactic market as a freighter. The MSV Fedele, with the private owner of Dr. R. Heart. And there were several bio research modules attached. It adds up.

"That's weird. The ship is running on minimal power. And it's not moving either. No orbit. You'd think someone on the run from the law would be more… mobile," Joker informed.

"It's odd alright. Activate the stealth drive and take us in to dock," I ordered.

"Aye, aye. Should arrive in just a few minutes." Everyone was already suited and ready before we entered the system. Now, just a matter of waiting by the cockpit. Garrus was tense. And I still hadn't settled either. I still feel like I should have done better. But, one thing at a time. Now, we have to put this bastard behind bars. Only five minutes later, Joker was docking the Normandy alongside the Fedele. Yet, we weren't hailed.

"Joker, watch for escape pods. He might be trying to slip out underneath us," I warned.

"Fry the bastard or capture him?" Joker asked.

"Capture. We don't want to blow up any innocents he could drag with him."

"Understood, Commander." I nodded at my pilot, and then the squad stepped into the airlock. The pressure equalized, and we entered Dr. Heart's ship. This module was completely empty. Smart, I'd say. That way someone who enters isn't immediately on guard because of his 'patients.' And the central hallway was just as clean. The squad entered a breaching formation alongside the door that for a ship dedicated to 'medicine' or 'biological research' should be relatively empty. Instead either having research equipment and/or cots for patients. The door opened, and that's exactly what we saw, but made far, far worse. Instead of cots, there were rows of some kind of… dissection tables. Shattered vats containing cloned organs. A small handful of the tables still had corpses on them, though they looked like they had been torn apart. Devoured. And I had an idea as to what caused it. At the far side of the room, pounding on the far door, as if trying to beat their way through, was a mass of… bodies. Some Turian, of either sex, some Asari, some Human, also of either sex, some Salarians, and a Krogan. They all appeared naked, like they truly were just lab experiments.

"My name's Commander Shepard!" I called out. The bodies all turned to face us immediately. But the way they had done so was… unsettling. "I'm here to help! What hap-" The Krogan let out a roar, the Turians screeched, and the Asari, Salarians, and Humans screamed. And charged us. As if they were feral. And it was as they were charging that I realized that their torsos were covered by large incisions, barely scabbed over. They were all covered in blood. Some not even of their natural color. Their skin was patchy and discolored. They were all clearly malnourished, and yet across their body, there were several… bulges out of their skin. Perhaps overgrown masses of cloned organs. I wonder if the Turians feel like their carapaces are about to burst.

Wrex was the first to shoot. A burst from his shotgun impacting the Krogan leading the charge center mass. It slowed him, knocking him back, but he immediately resumed the charge. We had no choice. We had to open fire, mow them all down. Our ears were filled with the sound of gunfire. For these poor sods, their reactions were weird and mixed. A shot to the head killed them, as did a shot to the heart. A shot to the lungs slowed them considerably and more or less did what you'd imagine someone shot in the lungs to do. Struggle to get air and die. But those shot in an arm just kept going, those shot in a leg, limped, but tried. They acted like zombies, but at the same time, these were still living people, not the undead. What the fuck had Saleon done to these people? Finally, the sound of gunfire died, and there was a pile of corpses massed in front of us.

"Christ almighty, what the hell did he do to these people?!" Ashley exclaimed. Tali, shook her head, holding her stomach, and another hand instinctively by her mouth. She turned towards the wall and made a retching noise.

"By the goddess," Liara murmured, tearing her eyes away from the victims. Tali was still retching, gagging, so I gently moved beside her and patted her back.

"Saleon is going to pay for this," Garrus sneered. Tali finished, coughed, and shakily stood. There wasn't a hint of vomit on her visor, so her suit must have done something to clean it up, or just some sort of tube she vomited into.

"Thanks," she whispered. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Saleon must be on the other side of that door over there if they were so pissy. Come on," I ordered. A bit hesitant, the others followed. There were splotches and smears of blood everywhere. The blue of Turian, the purple of Asari, green of Salarian, orange of Krogan, and red of Human. We passed by one of the tables that still had a corpse on it.

"Keelah… it's a pilgrim," Tali murmured. Well, red for Quarian too. It was a male, his environment suit removed. Must have been either a slow death by general disease, or plain anaphylactic shock. The one incision that remains on a sliver of his torso showed that Saleon must have done some kind of experimentation before death. But, his body, like the others, had clearly been eaten. Bones gnawed. It would have only been the Turians who got any nourishment from the body, but perhaps the others had gone so feral as to try a piece themselves, only to spew liquid out of both ends later. The Quarian's face wasn't in much better condition either. Though most of the… eating, had been centered around the torso, the face was splattered with blood, scratched and clawed to hell, the eyes plucked out, nose gone. The hair at the top of his head was a bloodied mess, matted together. All in all, unrecognizable.

"I'm identifying the body. I'll send word to the Fleet after… this," Tali murmured. We got to the door at the far side, stepping over shit, dried piss, and stray bits of flesh along the way. The door was electronically locked, but we hacked through easily. Three doors. A kitchen and dining area in the left room, empty of Salarian monsters. The cockpit, also empty. There'd only be one other place for him to hide. And that was on the other side of the door to the living quarters. We got into a breaching formation again, and stormed inside, Garrus beside me. Dr. Saleon, an older Salarian with dark brown skin and grey eyes stood relieved behind a desk he had turned over like a makeshift barricade. And he was armed with a pistol. He raised it as we entered. Not knowing why we were here.

"Thank you! Thank you for saving me from those things!" He exclaimed. I noticed Garrus begin to growl.

"That's him. That's Saleon." The Salarian gave a start, his eyes gone wide.

"What? My name is Heart. Dr. Heart. Please, get me out of here!" he pleaded.

"Yeah, last I checked, Heart wasn't a Salarian name," I remarked keeping my rifle up.

"There's no escape this time, Doctor," Garrus said the title with full disgust. He was glaring daggers at the Salarian. "I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time."

"You're crazy… He's crazy. Please, don't let him do this to me!"

"You're going to spend the rest of your miserable life behind bars, you scumbag," I stated loud and clear.

"What?! Commander, we have him! We can't let him get away, not again! You killed Haliat, this isn't different!"

"And I wish I didn't, Vakarian!" I shouted back at him. "He was the reason my father died, and I was mighty fucking pissed, and I still fucking am, but it wasn't the right thing to do. Neither is killing Saleon here and now! We take him back in, find out what he's been up to, how he's done what he did. Maybe he had co-conspirators who have gotten off scot-free. Bring them in too, and they all go to jail for a long, long time."

"I've-But-" Garrus stuttered.

"We have to be better than them, Vakarian," I reminded. He took a deep breath. He went silent, thinking. Finally, he spoke.

"Okay. You're right," he relented. He glared back at Saleon.

"You're a very lucky Salarian," Garrus sneered. "You owe the commander your life." Heart frowned, angry.

"Oh, thank you, so very much," he replied with sarcasm thick as lard. And started to aim his pistol. Kaidan immediately glowed blue and pushed Saleon into the wall behind him. Not enough force to kill him, but enough to pin him, prevent him from shooting. Saleon began cursing up a storm as I took his pistol away, and the biotics dissipated. He still didn't quiet as I put the cuffs on him and dragged him by the collar away. We'd leave him in the brig, drop him off at the Citadel. Garrus quickened his pace as he walked alongside me as we returned to the ship.

"And so we almost had to kill him anyway. What would have been the point?" Garrus questioned quietly, not trying to argue, but rather, just trying to get answers.

"You can't control how people will act, Garrus. But you can control how you respond. At the very least try to control your response. What matters is that even in response to a wrong action by someone else, you still try to do the right thing." Garrus went quiet again.

"Yeah…" he mused, likely having a more thorough internal dialogue. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Commander." You know, I think Garrus is wrong about that. I think someone like me stares him back in the mirror every day.

"Garrus?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"I'm proud of you. You had more control than I did."

"Thank you, Commander."

"You know, I said this once before. But I'm going to reiterate. It's Shepard." I reminded the Turian as we entered the room before the airlock.

"Hm. Alright, Shepard." All was quiet, except Saleon's muffled cursing, as we entered the airlock and it began its procedures.

"Have a drink in my quarters later?" I suggested. Garrus gave a small Turian grin.

"Sounds good to me."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Maybe it's just me, but if ME1 feels like it's kinda dragging on for you guys here, I'm sorry. I'm doing what I can while trying to integrate what's important, yet simultaneously trying to make things new and interesting. I'll try to think of some whole new mission I could try and integrate, but it would need to be something that has some measure of genuine significance, rather than a simple bit of bullshit like "Go here, kill some mercs because piracy, report back to Hackett." Anyways, if you do feel like it's dragging on a bit, for what it's worth, I have something that should be interesting planned to happen before Virmire, and Feros should be soonish. And either way, I have plenty of more fun thoughts, let alone plans, for ME2. So, just keep on hoping for that. Hope you enjoyed, and see y'all in the next one!**


	20. At the Tavern

**Commander John Shepard**

I think we got carried away. At least a bit. I woke up this morning sprawled out in my chair instead of my bed, two large and empty bottles of alcohol on the table. And there was a Turian man with his face down on the table across from me. Snoring. Which helped me find out that not only did I have a headache, but that I had a bad one. Pockets of memory cropped up. It started with us drinking slowly. We trade stories. Most of them were from our careers. And that includes boot camp. Turned out that a Turian drill sergeant and a Human drill sergeant are indistinguishable. We did tell stories about some missions, or, in his case, police cases, but we kept to light topics. Something stupid and funny someone did that they still lived to tell about. And be mocked about.

Can't remember much of them, though. A pulse of pain shot through my head, and I groaned as I remembered how we ended up in this state. As the night had gone on, and we started getting more and more tipsy, we eventually agreed on a drinking competition. See who can drink the other under the table. Problem is, looks like we both got drunk under the table. We'll need to have a rematch sometime. I was just about to put the alcohol bottles and glasses away when Garrus snored again, the flair of pain convincing me that I should wake the Turian up. Even with my hangover, I don't think I regret letting loose. I'm feeling a bit better. Not great, but, an improvement. And I feel a kinship with Garrus. I respect him, like I said yesterday, I'm proud of him. And I think I've got a good friend too. A good second in command, someday. And if my mentorship helps repair the relationship between a father and his son, well, that's all the better then.

I grabbed Garrus by the shoulder and lightly shook him.

"Garrus, wake up. Garrus," I repeated a bit louder as he didn't immediately stir. He let out a snort of air, then shot up with such force that his momentum flipped the chair, with him in it, over onto its back.

"Spirits, damn it all," he muttered in pain. I burst into laughter which immediately caused me pain.

"Ow! Fuck," I continued to laugh and grin despite myself. "Fucking, ach, shit. But-ha! Damn, Vakarian."

"Not so loud…" he requested grumpily. Groaning in pain again as he began to get himself back on his feet. "How much did we drink?" he peered down at his bottle, squinting to read the label. "Turian brandy, and the bottle is empty. Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Come on, let's clean up and get some painkillers," I suggested quietly.

"Only noise I've been happy to hear this morning," he joked as he grabbed his bottle and glass, myself doing the same.

"Yeah? Should of heard yourself snore. Sounded like I was next to a combustion engine." That earned some chuckles from the Turian, and we stepped out into the mess. Looked like breakfast was just winding down. The whole of the ground crew was still present, but only two of the regular crew still lingered.

"Have fun, boys?" Ashley teased.

"I think we tried to see who could take the most drinks before passing out at the end of it. Problem is, we both did," I revealed, earning some laughter from the crew. "Oh, and Tali, if you ever want a new set of white noise, I'll get Garrus to record his snoring for you. Sounds just like an engine."

"Come on, it couldn't be that bad," Garrus defended as Tali giggled.

"You know how you felt when I woke your dumbass up and you fell out of your chair onto the floor? That's how I felt each time you snored after I woke up," I retorted. This just earned even more laughter. Which then reminded me what we had come out into the mess for.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go see the Doctor," Garrus conceded, and placed his glass in the sink, bottle in the garbage as he made his way to the med-bay.

"And I need some hangover pills too… Chef," I called out. "Know any good hangover meals?" Chef nodded. "I'll gladly take one if you don't mind, and I think Garrus would appreciate one if you know it too." Chef simply got to work. Garrus was already working back out of the med-bay. Chakwas, waiting at the door. She chuckled, rolling her eyes as she just handed me a pair of pills. "Thanks."

"Try to watch yourself," she just had to add.

"You know me, doc," I chuckled.

"Only too well," she muttered, returning to her desk, and myself, getting some water to gulp down the two pills.

"So, how's our guest?" I asked as I sat back down. Garrus' mood immediately soured, but he remained quiet.

"Still whining and bitching. Awfully tempted to just muzzle him. Joker said we should be at the Citadel in five hours to drop him off. Will we be staying?" Ashley answered.

"Depends. If we don't get a mission, yes. If we do, no," I shrugged. Ashley nodded, and it was silent a bit longer. Kaidan was the only one still really eating, but the others were wrapping their meals up.

"Kaidan, I'm curious," Tali began. "You eat so much more than the other humans, and yet, you don't seem to uh… grow fat. I'm terribly sorry if I'm offending." Kaidan just gave a reassuring grin as he swallowed a bite.

"You're fine, Tali. I'm a biotic, that's all. High metabolism," he explained. "Do your people not have biotics?"

"We used to, before the fleet. But even then, they were rare. Our weaker immune systems at the time made Eezo exposure far more likely to result in death. For at least the unborn child. And of course, if the mother died, so would the child. Our immune systems today just make it a certainty," she explained. "But, I need to ask. Why is it that Liara doesn't eat nearly as much as you do? And, well, Wrex eats about as much as I'd expect a Krogan to," she ended with a chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wrex feigned insult.

"I… do not have an answer for that one," Kaidan murmured. "Liara?"

"Our bodies have simply adapted more. We are natural biotics and thus can be far more efficient with the energy from our food than the other races." That explanation was generally accepted, and soon enough, as the others dispersed to fulfill their duties, Garrus and I were the only ones at the table, and our meals had arrived. Just bacon and eggs for me. Still not sure what I'm looking at on Garrus' plate. We ate our meals in silence, but as we finished, he spoke up.

"Thank you, Comma-" he stopped himself. "Shepard."

"What for?"

"For everything. Taking me with you, letting me be a part of your team. I've learned a lot, and I'm the better for it. I've thought a lot about everything you've told me, showed me. Innocents don't need to and shouldn't be sacrificed to achieve the goal. Finding the best way through, not the fastest."

"Not giving yourself enough credit. I might have told you those things, but you took the time to think about it and agree."

"But it's not just that, Commander. I've thought about Saleon too. I was convinced he deserved to die, but I began to think about why I wanted him dead. It wasn't because of what he'd done. But because he got away from me. I let it become personal." This is all very good, and I nodded my head along to show him that I was both following and approving. But there's one thing left.

"What are you going to do about it?" There was a determined look in his eyes.

"I think I'll go back to C-Sec. After Saren, that is. I think I can make a difference there. A real one. And I'll reapply for Spectre training. But I'll do it right. I won't compromise myself. If the people I'm sworn to protect can't trust me, I don't deserve to protect them." I let out a grin.

"That's damn good to hear, Vakarian. Remember that. Always, especially when we catch up with Saren. And while I'd be happy to keep you on the crew, I'll support your decision, and gladly send my recommendations."

"Thank you, Shepard. That means a lot."

"You're a good man, Garrus. Heart's in the right place. And you're a good soldier. We need more people like you out there." Garrus set his silverware down, stood from his seat, and saluted me in the Turian style, a hand across his chest, hand clenched in a fist over his heart. Smiling, set my silverware down, stood up, and saluted him in return in the human style.

* * *

 **Garrus Vakarian**

We had returned to the Citadel within the expected time frame. C-Sec was waiting just outside of our dock as we were coming in. Shepard and I were at the airlock, with Saleon cuffed, and a strip of tape over his mouth. He doesn't understand he has the right to remain silent. I still felt utter revulsion at his presence, but it was under control. The airlock beginning its cycle informed us that we had successfully docked and were simply waiting to disembark. The moment the doors opened, I put a hand on Saleon's back and pushed him forward in front of me. He tried to shake it off, but I gripped a handful of his shirt. We marched out of the docking tube, and, to my surprise, Executor Palin was waiting with two other officers. And a medical team.

"Dr. Saleon. At last. We have a nice cozy cell waiting for you," the Executor remarked. Saleon muffled under the tape angrily. Before Pallin could ask, Shepard explained.

"He doesn't ever shut up. Think his plan was to be such an annoyance that we just kicked him off the ship. We found a different solution, however." Pallin nodded.

"I'm more surprised that he's unharmed, let alone alive. Spectre's don't generally bring in healthy, living criminals."

"Well, that's just not _our_ style, Executor," Shepard emphasized the word.

"Our?" Pallin raised a brow plate, glancing at me.

"Shepard has taught me a good deal. You could say I've gained some new perspectives," I stood straighter. Pallin hummed thoughtfully, the sound barely audible. The officers came over to secure Saleon into their own custody, and began taking him away, the medical team leaving alongside them. Pallin remained a moment.

"Executor, there is one other thing I think Garrus would want to say…" Shepard trailed off. Pallin raised a brow-plate again and I cleared my throat.

"After we bring in Saren, I'd like to rejoin the force. Bring in criminals the right way."

"And while I doubt I need to vouch for Garrus' skills, I vouch for his growth," Shepard added.

"Well, Garrus. I'm impressed. When I first read the report that you were bringing in Doctor Saleon, including what you found on his ship, I was sure that we'd be receiving either a corpse or someone who might as well be. If you keep up the good work like this, we'd be happy to reinstate you."

"Thank you, sir." Pallin simply nodded again.

"Goodbye, Commander. Vakarian." he turned and took his leave.

I wonder what dad would say…

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We had no word from Hackett yet, so, the ground team was clear to wander. Half of the total crew were also cleared to wander, but to remain close to some means of rapid return to the ship. This half had remained on the ship for the day last time, while the half remaining now had wandered last time. It works. I also made sure that Wrex would stash the head of Tonn Actus somewhere off the ship. At least he had kept it out of sight so far. As for my plans, well, I don't generally have much else to do on this station, so I'd be meeting up with Anderson again. Meet outside his apartment to start, and he'd drive us to a pub he frequents. Given that Anderson is from London, it helps him feel at home. But first, I just had to get there. And given the crowd of people waiting at the bottom of the elevator down to C-Sec, people with cameras, I suspected I might be delayed. The moment the doors opened, camera flashed, and people shouted introductions and questions. All over each other. I couldn't understand a word as I squinted my eyes, trying not to be blinded.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold it, hold it!" I boomed with a Commanding voice I've only used a few times before. And most of that, just during training. I stepped out of the elevator as they all went silent. They formed a circle around me. I looked for any familiar faces. Blegh, there's that Al-Jilani woman. Surprised she wants to try and interview me again. Anyone else… Ah! "Emily Wong, why don't you step forward." Annoyed looks crossed the faces of most reporters as she gently moved herself through. Her camera drone following. "This isn't a press conference, and I have places to be, but I will answer a very short number of questions. To begin, what is it exactly you all are trying to ask about." That was a mistake, they all shouted trying to answer. I quickly shushed them, like children. "Ms. Wong?"

"Terra Nova. You saved the entire colony, after all," she answered. Ah. Well, that makes sense.

"I won't recount the whole operation, I don't have time for that. Emily, you can ask the first question."

"Thank you, Commander. Is it true that the attack was orchestrated by an exclusively Batarian slaver gang?"

"That is true. After shutting down the final torch, a small group came to negotiate. I gave them a chance, though once they revealed that the original plan was a slave grab, I knew I had to put them behind bars. We successfully captured that group, I might add." I glanced amongst the crowd and pointed at a darker skinned man with short hair.

"Why would slavers attempt to destroy a colony?" he asked.

"When I questioned the captives, they stated that the leader of that mission was a Batarian by the name of Balak. He showed up, arranged the mission, then revealed that it was indeed an act of terrorism rather than a slave run." For the next question I pointed at an olive-skinned woman near the front.

"Was the attempted attack orchestrated by the Batarian Hegemony?"

"I would imagine so. Balak spouted claims that were straight from Hegemony propaganda." I heard murmurs amongst the reporters. I know the Hegemony would take that as an inflammatory comment, which it was, and they'd bitch and moan, but no one will listen.

"Why did you let Balak leave?" Al-Jilani blurted out. Internally, I grumbled as she caused a burst of reporters asking their own questions all at once as if somehow that was me giving them permission.

"I don't recall pointing you out, Ms. Al-Jilani, but so be it. I did not let him leave. I saved prisoners. Balak has simply bought himself some time. Once I finish my hunt against Saren, I plan to hunt him down. Now, I think that's enough questions for today. Excuse me." The reporters began shouting questions at me again, but I ignored them. At least I didn't need to shove my way through anyone. I made my way to a cab that I had called for, still waiting. And it drove off towards the Silversun strip. Before long, it set down just outside of Tiberius towers, and Anderson was waiting outside.

"Sorry, I got delayed," I remarked, stepping out of the cab.

"How's that?" he asked, as he led me towards the garage his sky-car is parked in.

"Reporters. Trying to ask me questions about Terra Nova," I shrugged.

"Ha! Well, you are a hero again, John," David barked a short laugh.

"I was just doing my job, you know that," I retorted as the elevator doors closed.

"You know, normally I have to teach people humility. Not to teach someone to feel some damn pride for once." We both simply chuckled, and finally reached David's car. He, of course, drove us out and in the direction of the pub.

"So, tell me about this place we're going."

"It's one of the first Human pubs that made their way onto the Citadel, and its family owned. The family is Irish, and large. A large chunk of them are actually running a pub in downtown London. Been in their family for ages. Since… I want to say the beginning of the Colonial Era. Shortly after Columbus. Give or take." I let out a whistle.

"That is indeed very old," I mused.

"They've split a supply of the aged alcohol with their other half Earth side. While they have their own brews that have been aging since they were founded here, they have even older reserves they bring out for a decent sum."

"Share some of that?" I suggested.

"Gladly. Call it a celebration. So, anyways, the family is Irish, and the accent is unmistakable. But what I really love about the place is the live music they have twice a week. And tonight is one of those nights. Irish as well, and they play good ol' Tavern music. After a few hours, I'd swear I was back home," David smiled as he reminisced.

"Sounds like a good time, David. What do the other races think of it?" I asked, just feeling curious.

"The place gets a few Asari. Normally around the arm of a Human, but it's not uncommon some will come in as a group or on their own. Taking in some human culture. I've seen the occasional Turian, but they don't serve Dextro food. And their dextro booze is standard. Might change as they expand. But there is this one Krogan who's comes back every now and then. I think he's a merc of some kind, comes here whenever on the Citadel. He just gets a kick out of it. The people and the booze, mostly."

"Heh, you know, I think that fits. Wonder how they'd like a Slavic or Russian bar," I joked.

"I think I'd pay to see that," David laughed. Before long, the sky-car began to set down in a parking lot beside the bar. It was on a corner, and fittingly, named Clover's Corner. The exterior was designed just like an authentic pub as well, which I liked. David led us inside, and, as expected, the interior was also designed like an authentic pub as well. A wooden framework, relatively small space. Seats around the bar itself, but it also had a few booths and tables to the side. And in the middle of all of that was the stage with three performers. A woman tuning a violin, almost pale skinned with short, brown hair, a man at a mic, stringing a guitar, a ginger, with freckles and possibly even lighter skin than the woman. And another man just slightly to the back that looked a lot like the singer with a flute. Twins? Perhaps they're all siblings.

"Oi! David, good to see ya!" a man behind the bar called out. Older man, maybe around his fifties. Dark hair with some gray showing up, and a full beard. Not to mention a thick Irish accent. The owner, I'd take it. "Who've ya brought with ya today?"

"Old friend of mine. John," David responded, walking me up to the bar. There was a fairly decent crowd today. Most of the tables were empty, but the bar was full and plenty of people just standing around it talking. Laughing. Drinking. "John, this is Sean."

"Good to meet you," I offered a hand. He gladly clasped it in his, giving it a hearty shake.

"You too, lad. Glad you're not a bloody Englishman like your friend," he gave a laugh just as hearty as his handshake. "Saved your booth for you. Show should be starting soon, and I'll send Clover to get you boys some drinks. Might pop 'round if I have time, ey?"

"Sounds good, Sean." David started to lead me towards his booth.

"Oi! Calm your tits Fergus! I was greetin' a customer!" I heard Sean shout at someone. Couldn't suppress a minor laugh.

"Just like home, alright," David chuckled. As we sat, I took a moment to get a better look around. The lights were dim, but not dark. It made an odd contrast with the view outside, of the neon and lights of the Citadel the tinted windows keep from being as bright as normal. All in all, this place just feels… homey. Like you have a friend with a bigger house and they've just invited a large group over for drinks. I noticed a few customers that stood out. Like Anderson had answered my earlier question, I saw an Asari or two sitting beside a Human at the bar, leaning on them a bit. And I also saw a Krogan sprawled out in one of the other booths. Not knocked out, no, not by a longshot. Just relaxing. He was clearly an older Krogan, his skin greying, his forehead plate brown and covered with… bumps. His eyes were a deep green as he studied the room, and he was wearing armor. Yellow and brown, ornamented with a few bones. A seemingly ancient Krogan. One who lived that long deserves some respect. He had a pint of some drink on his table, that he was just calmly grasping the handle of. My observations were then cut short.

"Ello David! Good to have you back!" An older woman, Clover, I'd assume, greeted. She looked to be about the same age as Sean. Her hair was as ginger as the two men on stage, not getting grey just yet, but there was still the odd wrinkle hinting at age.

"You too, Clover," David smiled back.

"Now, what can I get you boys? Drink? Food? My brother and his tykes have just gotten the kitchen going for the day." Didn't feel too hungry yet, but I'll probably get food soon.

"I'm good to just start with drinks," I mentioned. David nodded.

"Then we'll have some of the family Whiskey, aged."

"How old?"

"Very," David smirked.

"Celebrating somethin are we?" Clover remarked. A knowing grin was shared between Anderson and I.

"You're not wrong," David answered coyly.

"Alright, fine, enjoy your secrets. I'll be right back."

"Word of warning. I woke up this morning with a hangover. I'm not eager to do that twice in a row," I chuckled. Instead of responding with his own chuckle, a flash of concern came over his features. Well… I understand why.

"John?"

"No, no, nothing like that, David," I reassured. "Yeah, it was a rough day the day before and yesterday wasn't pleasant either, but I was sharing drinks with Garrus. That mission was personal for him."

"How so?"

"Criminal that got away from him some time ago. I'll spare you some details, but it was gruesome when we found him. And this bastard really got under Garrus' skin too. But, convinced him that he needed to be taken in alive rather than killed. That was a decision and choice he came to on his own, if guided there."

"Sounds like you've made progress with him then."

"I really have. He's come around, says he plans to go back to C-sec when this is all done. See if he can't become a Spectre too, but, do it right. Like I've shown and taught him. So yeah, had some fun drinking together. Even if I can't remember half of what happened," we both laughed. Clover then returned with the drink and two glasses. It was an old glass bottle of whiskey.

"Can I get you two anything else?"

"We're good for the moment, Clover. Thanks," David nodded.

"Alright. Just holler if you need something," she walked off to take care of other customers. David poured a glass for both of us. The whiskey's smell hitting my nostrils straight away. Given the smell… this was going to be good. As we clinked our glasses and knocked it back, my suspicions were confirmed. I even had to shake my head as it went down.

"Money well spent," I let out an impressed whistle.

"Indeed. So, how's the rest of the crew?"

"Seem to be getting closer, more or less. And remember what I told you about Wrex? About how he used to have hope in the Krogan, but something got rid of it?" David nodded. "Well, I learned what. Turns out, he once lead a Clan in moving the Krogan away from war and to sustaining their species. A Warlord from the Rebellions didn't like that and tried to kill him. That warlord was his father. Broke some sacred Krogan rules in the process too," I explained.

"His own father? Damn shame. And you said he was trying to lead them to peace?"

"Something like it, at least. He doesn't have some blind hatred towards Garrus or anyone else, so he really doesn't seem interested in revenge. Even helped him with a personal thing of his a few days back. Retrieved armor that belonged to his family. Apparently swore to his grandfather he'd get it back. When he got his hands on it… I dunno. Something changed in him. Something good, I think," I mused.

"Hm," David scratched his chin. And we had another round.

"So, let's see. Liara seems to be fitting in a bit more. And she's handling Benezia well enough, least, from what I've seen. And I learned something about Ashley, by the way."

"Oh? Such as?"

"She's General William's granddaughter."

"Of course! That explains a lot," David remarked.

"I thought so too. Long story short, she apologized, and we've restarted. And I think she and Liara have actually been chatting it up a bit here and there. Progress," I shrugged.

"And what about Tali?"

"She seems to have found her niche on the ship. Making herself comfortable, or at least, as comfortable as she will let herself. Mostly that's engineering, but she talks with the crew often enough. Kaidan and Wrex, mostly. And myself, of course. It was then that the mic was turned on, and the lead of the band spoke up.

"Hello to all, I'm Patrick. This here is my twin brother Liam, and our sister Cait. We are now finally ready, and properly buzzed," he began, the addition of being buzzed drawing a cheer from the crowd. "To play some music. Thanks to Ma and Da for letting us play in their little bar." And with that, the music begun. Traditional Irish music, least, what it sounds like. The kind that leaves those sitting tapping their feet, and those standing on the cusp of dancing to it. Even if it ends with them falling over. And they were good, too.

I couldn't even begin to name or describe parts of the songs, but it was just fun, upbeat, tavern music. When they finished their first song, my stomach grumbled, and as they were taking just a moment, I called for Clover, who quickly found herself at our table.

"I know it's a bit basic, but I'd like an order of fish and chips," I requested.

"I'll get those started right away. Anything for you, David?"

"Honestly, fish and chips sounds great right now. I'll go with that too."

"Great! They'll be out soon!" Clover reassured, as she went on to continue waiting on customers. And as if on cue, the music resumed.

We remained at the pub for several hours longer after we had eaten our food. Simply enjoying the atmosphere and having fun. Anderson and I were just about to part as he still had work he had to do, when it turned out it wouldn't have mattered if he did or not. I got an emergency call from Hackett.

"Commander, we have a problem."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bit of a shorter chapter, I know. Next chapter should be heftier as it's got a good amount of combat stuff going on. No, not Feros yet. Anyways, I'm off to see Infinity War!**


	21. Invasion

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tried something new this chapter, along side as a reimagining of parts of the mission about this chapter. Won't say anything more for the moment. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

The recall had been sounded immediately, and I was wasting no time in returning to the ship. The Geth had infiltrated the Armstrong Nebula. They had four outposts in four different systems. They could be going for Intel, it could be a staging ground for our Colonies, or it could be the first wave of an Invasion. Our job is to go in, take out the outposts. Find out what they're after if we can. One would question the idea of just sending one ship and its crew to counter an invasion, but like Hackett's intel said. They were outposts. On uninhabited worlds, fortunately. Outposts are small, relatively lightly manned. We can get in and take em out before they know we're there. Not to mention we know how to fight Geth.

I had run over a navigation plan with Joker while waiting for the rest of the crew finish reporting back. Hong was the relay system, as well as one with an Outpost. After that we'd go to Vamshi, then Tereshkova, and Gagarin. It wasn't long before the last member of the crew, returned a bit tipsy, and manned their position at navigation. Good thing there's others who can pull the slack. Unfortunately, the Armstrong Nebula was essentially on the opposite end of the Galaxy, and the journey was going to take about a day and a half. Might as well get the briefing over with now.

"All members of the ground team, report to the comm room for briefing," I ordered on the intercom. As expected, as I was still in CIC, I was the first one there, and got a transferred a display of the cluster from the Galaxy map onto the view screen. Liara was first, followed by everyone else arriving together. It's likely they had all been in the cargo bay. They were silent as they got seated and began.

"I've received word from Admiral Hackett that the Geth have infiltrated these four systems of the Armstrong Nebula," I pointed at the display and the four highlighted systems. "Gagarin, Tereshkova, Hong, and Vamshi. While Hackett could likely organize a strike force to arrive before us, none of them have experience fighting Geth. And none of them will have the element of surprise either. They have outposts on one planet in each system. Our job will be to neutralize the outposts. Along the way, we are going to be trailed by a small detachment from the Fifth Fleet. Their task will be to eliminate any Geth Naval presence after we've eliminated the outposts if it's within their power. If not, then word will be sent back to the Fleet to arrange a stronger response. If any of the systems lack a Naval presence, then they will deploy to fully dismantle the outposts. Whether that's via bombardment, or manual dismantling, I cannot yet say." I explained. "Questions?"

"Do we know why the Geth are invading?" Tali questioned first. Not surprising.

"Not as of yet. One of our objectives will be to find out if possible. Though we have our suspicions. This could be so that they can better listen in on us or otherwise gain intel. This could be a staging ground for raids against Human colonies, or it could even be the first wave of an Invasion."

"What ships do we have for support?" Garrus asked.

"The Dreadnaught Kilimanjaro is leading the detachment. And I doubt it's a coincidence that my mother serves on that ship. That detachment includes two Cruisers, and three frigates. The Dreadnaught and Cruisers also have their standard number of fighters, interceptors, and bombers. While not as much as one of our carriers, it'll be a boon if required. Tali, we will need your help identifying any and all Geth ships."

"I'll request an up-to-date list of known Geth Ship classifications after the briefing, Shepard," Tali nodded.

"Good. Our plan is to rendezvous with the detachment in the Attican Beta cluster, beside the relay that'll take us to the Nebula," I explained as the display changed to zoom out to Attican Beta, and into the Hercules system, a flashing ring showing around the relay. And it displayed the Normandy linking up with the detachment, then the Normandy going through the relay to Hong. "We begin here," I pointed at the planet Casbin as Normandy flew there. "Casbin. It's a pre-garden world, and so we're going to have to have some measure of subtlety, disrupt the environment as little as possible. After, Vamshi." The display showed a Geth head with an X across it beside Casbin, the fleet detachment following us along, going into orbit around Casbin, while the Normandy left the system to Vamshi. A binary star system. "Maji. Radiation is lethal over time, but we won't be there long enough for that to matter."

The same display of a crossed out Geth head appeared beside the planet as the Fleet entered the system, heading towards the planet as the Normandy left, making its way to Tereshkova. This system had more worlds, but few of them were terrestrial. And another binary star system.

"Antibaar. Frozen world." The same pattern of display followed. To Gagarin system. "Finally, Rayingri. An issue with this world is that it's trapped in a decaying orbit with a rogue planet. Earthquakes and cyclonic wind storms are common, but the Mako should be able to handle it. Any final questions?"

"A suggestion. There is a planet in Gagarin, Junthor," Liara stood, and I allowed her to change the display to zoom in on the world. "There are ruins of an ancient space-faring race, older than Prothean ruins. Along the equator are many superstructures and massive arcologies. In the center of one of these colonies is a column with transcriptions. 'Walk among these works, and know our greatness.' And a crude set of scratches on the base of its reverse side say something grim. 'Monsters from the id.' This was a planet I journeyed to when I developed my theory of a galactic extinction cycle. While it's not Prothean, it seems possible that Saren could have found something on this world which is why he sent Geth to this cluster. Perhaps there is something there," Liara mused. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"It's too much to be ignored. I'll alert Hackett to this and request additional forces to blockade the Relay, as well as a science team to be on standby. Even if Saren isn't interested in that world, it's possible that they could have known something further that could help us, if this is, indeed, a cause of those Reapers." On one hand I knew the evidence of a Reaper threat was mounting. On the other… it just sounds so unbelievable. It's not something I want to believe. It's something that simply can't be true, right? But as much as I don't want to admit it, the pattern fits. The logic is sound. And this puzzle is running out of gaps. I gave everyone a moment to ask anything further if required. No one spoke.

"Dismissed."

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

We would be exiting FTL at the rendezvous point in minutes, and Shepard had wanted the ground team ready for insertion before we even hit the relay. He had reported Liara's suggestion to Hackett, and had secured an additional three Cruisers and two Frigates to blockade the Relay out and watch the system. Just in case anyone, like Saren, or anything tries to escape, potentially from Junthor, as we're clearing out the other outposts. And it was also fortunate that the Migrant Fleet did not take nearly as long to respond to this request as they did the other. I suppose that would be because of several factors. They have already come to a decision on helping Shepard before, that this is information about combatting Geth, to repel a potential expansive move by the Geth, and perhaps even to make up for being of such little help previously.

I had passed the information along to Shepard, who passed the information along to the Alliance. They could now classify everything we could classify, as well as an overview of the ship's abilities, at least, from what we could ever determine. This included Geth Corvettes all the way to Cruisers. The only reports of Geth Dreadnaughts we could provide were from their rebellion, and that information would likely be virtually useless now.

We came out of FTL. We couldn't feel a change, no, but I could tell. There was a change in the noise of the drive core. When in FTL, the three arms around the Eezo core speed up rapidly, and in combination with the Eezo pulses, a constant whirring noise. But as we were back in normal speeds, it instead made a kind of… shuuuuum noise, that could be heard through the lower level.

"Damn I hate the waiting. I just want to kill some flashlight head bastards already," Ashley grumbled.

"Then I'll try to leave a few intact for you, Williams," I remarked.

"Is that so?" she smirked. But I didn't see any hostility in her body language as she shuffled. "I think you mean I'll try to save some for you." I felt a smirk come across my own face, and as my eyes narrowed, I leaned forward, and I wondered if they could tell. Or… perhaps they mistake this for offence. Before I could say anything, Garrus clicked his tongue.

"Well, this sounds like an excellent time for a friendly wager," he suggested. To see which of us can kill the most, as our Gunnery Chief put it, the most 'flashlight head bastards.'"

"I want in!" Kaidan called out.

"But I don't have any credits," I pointed out.

"That's fine," Garrus shrugged. "The rest of us can put down, say… twenty credits. You can barter… hm, ideas?"

"A favor, or question. No sexual favors, nothing too dangerous, and the question can't be anything relating to the fleet," Ashley suggested.

"And I have to have the right to refuse a question if it's too personal."

"Sounds fair," she answered. "Oh, and whatever Garrus kills with the Mako's gun doesn't count."

"No fun," Garrus pouted.

"I suppose I will take part in this bet," Liara shyly stated.

"No way in hell I'm sitting this out," Wrex grumbled.

"Uh, wait, we all saw what he did at Tonn Actus' place. I already know I'll lose to him," Kaidan remarked.

"All those in favor of making Wrex sit out our little bet, raise their hands," Garrus announced. Everyone except the Krogan raised a hand. Everyone except him grinned and/or chuckled. "Those against?" Wrex raised his hand, alone. It earned some laughs. "Sorry old man, there might not be a way in hell you'd sit this out, but there is a way in life you'll sit this one out," Garrus teased.

"I hate you all," Wrex grumbled, but not without the ghost of a smirk.

"How shall we keep track?" Liara asked.

"I have a program in my visor. It keeps track of the squad's kills," Garrus suggested.

"Nuh uh. I want to see that count on my HUD," Ashley countered.

"Simple fix," Garrus shrugged. "Link your hard suits to it and the display can be shared. Here," Garrus pressed some keys on his Omni-tool then the rest of us opened ours to link. I got a prompt asking for a name, and I gave it. Once complete, in the top left corner of my mask's holo display was a small chart. Our names, with a zero beside them. We started moving again. The drive core sped up slightly, before I felt a tingling sensation, hearing the drive core speeding up rapidly now, the pulsing almost constant, and then, for less than a second it seemed to be that the sound was constant, unending, before it slowed back to normal speeds. I recognize that as a sign that we had just gone through a relay. Kaidan's and Ashley's hair was briefly starting to stand on its ends, but as the static from the relay dissipated, their hair fell back to normal. A minute later, Shepard arrived down on the elevator, and made his way towards his locker, getting suited up.

"We're just a few minutes out from our first drop. We're going to remain in normal space and stealthed for a moment to scan the system before we go back to FTL," he explained. Soon after, Joker made his report on the intercom.

"I'm detecting three corvettes in orbit around Casbin. Want the fleet to deal with them now?"

"I want us on the ground first. No need to make our entry a mess. They can start their approach after we've made landfall and you've fallen back," Shepard ordered.

"Understood. Relaying to the other ships. Want me to tell your mom you say hi?" Shepard simply chuckled in response. We all got into our places inside the Mako, and soon, Joker began his countdown. The bay doors opened, revealing a sky blackened by ash and a smoking volcano in the distance. On his signal, we began plummeting to the planet's surface. Rocky, mountainous terrain, but anything not too steep was covered in a dark green. Lichen and moss. Early plant life. Life that can breathe this otherwise inhospitable atmosphere.

"Alenko, Williams, get a nice look at this place. This is Earth a few billion years ago," Shepard remarked as he waited to activate the thrusters. Which, he soon did. We landed just as we always do. "Regroup with the others, Joker. We'll hold off from the outpost until you arrive." The battle above should be easy for the Alliance ships. Corvettes are small, lightly armored, and lightly armed. They may be fast, but the Alliance ships will have both surprise, and be returning to normal space close to them. The fighter craft and the frigates will likely be the most instrumental in their destruction.

Shepard drove the Mako through a valley in the landscape, taking a longer route around rather than just driving it up a mountain to fall onto the outpost. We came around the mountainside, and slowly made our way up until we saw a glint of light. Upon a closer look, the top of a Geth sniper tower. The Mako immediately came to a stop. We waited a few minutes longer than it took for the Normandy to arrive, as a Dreadnaught would, of course, be slower.

"Coming out of FTL now, Commander. Have fun," Joker informed.

"Lock and load, Vakarian," Shepard ordered as he accelerated the Mako immediately up to the outpost. An explosive shell went right into the sniper tower, destroying it utterly. The outpost was a small fortification. A circular encampment with sniper towers surrounding it, and Geth troops both in the towers, and along the ground in the center, it looked like they were still constructing. Energy cells, it appeared to be. But they had barely begun. Rounds began impacting off our shields immediately, but Garrus used the machine gun to mow down the snipers to start. As for the Geth along the ground, Shepard ran over some, crushing them under the wheels, while Garrus mowed down the others.

"Commander! Corvette disengaging, heading to the surface, and four frigates just arrived in system to reinforce," Joker informed.

"Damn it, we need air support!" Shepard demanded.

"Already on it, Commander. Got a payload locked and loaded," Joker reassured.

"Got it. Tali, I want all power to shields and engines. We have to keep moving but keep its interest long enough so it doesn't disengage."

"Understood, Commander. The air in the Mako will be breathable for another thirty minutes before the reserves in our armor will be required," I warned as I diverted power.

"That'll be more than enough," he murmured. Shepard waited for the first sign of the Corvette to break through the clouds, and the moment he saw the glint of metal, he began driving wildly. Occasionally breaking and using the thrusters to avoid fire. Rounds were fired from the bug-like ship that impacted the ground, but we were intact. Strangely, the ship remained solely over the outpost.

"Get clear!" Joker shouted as the Normandy soared down through the clouds, a pair of mass accelerator rounds slamming right into the Corvette, as the Normandy broke back off towards the battle overhead. Explosions rippled along the small ship's hull and it crashed down to the ground in the center of its outpost. There were sparks and fires all over it's rear. Right where the drive core was. Shepard knew, and immediately began driving the Mako away just to make absolutely sure we'd be safe. The core detonated, destroying both what's left of the ship, and the outpost.

We had no choice but to wait a while longer as the battle overhead played out. While I believe we all knew who would win, the length could still be nerve racking.

"Commander, this is Captain Stanford of the Kilimanjaro. The skies are clear. We lost some fighters, frigates took some damage, but we lost no ships," a gruff, old voice stated over comms.

"Understood, sir. We'll make our way to the next outpost."

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

We were en route to the last of the outposts, on Rayingri, and had already landed. There had been no other Geth ships, so it's likely that most have regrouped somewhere, while the frigates that joined the attack over Casbin could have been a delay or probing attack.

Maji had been a relatively simple endeavor. Though we had to climb a mountain path defended by anti-vehicle turrets, and upon arrival to the outpost itself, which was in a similar state as the previous, we were surprised to find a Colossus defending it. Garrus made short work of the Geth in sniper towers, but at first, it was keeping us otherwise pinned. Then, Shepard had an idea. The outpost was on the edge of the cliff, and there was absolutely nothing blocking the cliff face. So, Shepard had me divert all power to engines and shields, and then launched ourselves at the Colossus. The force of the impact sent the Colossus tumbling down the cliff. We shot it along the way several times for good measure.

On Antibaar we had detected some Prothean ruins as we landed, just to the west. Shepard had this bad feeling about it that he couldn't shake, but we also just couldn't ignore a Prothean ruin when Geth had invaded. Shepard's feelings were confirmed as we peered across the snow covered plain near the ruins. A Geth land vehicle and some Geth units. Heavily corroded. Smashed. Snow thrown around. A thresher nest. Shepard got tense, and I put a hand on his armored shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. In response, he took a deep breath, made sure Garrus was ready, and drove the Mako out. When the Maw emerged, we were ready, and an explosive shell found its way inside of its mouth. Killing it. At the ruins, we found a set of Data disks sitting right in the open. Liara grabbed them right up to decrypt and study later. The outpost was like the others, but reinforced by two Geth primes and additional ground forces. Didn't stand a chance against the Mako.

We had done a passing scan by Junthor, but there wasn't any sign of Geth activity. Nothing at all. Still, it would likely benefit to have the research team there. As for Rayingri itself, the rogue planet dominated the sky, while the red sun poked through the clouds, giving the planet a hazy color between orange and red. The Geth outpost here, oddly enough, was an overrun research station of a small independent mining company likely looking for a good planet to claim. The path up to their facility was still marked. And outside, were about a dozen Dragon's Teeth, as the alliance call them. All of them were empty, implying that they had already turned their victims into those Husk monstrosities. And the facility was another of the underground bunkers. Close quarters for Husks. My shotgun might help me win this.

"Stick close, techs be ready," Shepard ordered. The first room was eerily lacking bodies. We opened the door to the main room and heard a light moaning or groaning. "Form a line." Shepard got onto a knee, I stood behind him, Garrus and Ashley beside him. Kaidan and Wrex beside me, Liara at the back. Shepard took his pistol and shot it into the ceiling. The Husks roared, and swarmed. I aimed for the head as soon as I saw one. I even saw one shot blast through two Husk skulls. When they all fell, a pile of bodies to the side of the door, blue and black splotches along the wall, Ashley and I were tied.

"Move in, watch for another entrance. Geth definitely know we're here now," Shepard warned. We made it about halfway through when the other door opened and a squad of Geth stormed out. I already had my Omni-tool ready, and while we were forced to dive for cover, I completed my hack, and the Geth at the rear was able to shoot the rest of its squad in the back with one long pull of the trigger.

"That all counts as mine," I stated proudly.

"I forgot she could do that," Ashley muttered.

"Was I left out of some bets?" Shepard asked with humor in his voice.

"If we let you into our little competition, well, we'd just have no chance," Garrus remarked.

"Damn. What's the pot I'm missing out on?"

"Twenty credits each. Except for Wrex, as we kicked him out of it, and Tali, who doesn't have money. Instead, a question or favor," Kaidan added.

"Damn, would have made good use of all that," Shepard chuckled. I felt myself blush. What was he thinking for a question? Or a favor? Maybe one of the rules about the favors wouldn't apply if he- damn it Tali! Stop! What are you thinking, girl?! I shook those thoughts out of my head and remained with the others as we searched the rest of the facility. We found nothing. Where-

"Behind us," Wrex whispered on the comms. We turned on our heels and readied a line again. I could hear it now, the sound of metal feet running along metal. Geth. But where did they come from? Two destroyers burst right out of the corner, charging. I had an overload ready and fried their shields. A shotgun blast from me tore through the center of the first, while a burst from Shepard's rifle tore through the head of the other, both leaked hydraulic fuel, and collapsed.

"Wait, allow me to hack one," I requested. Shepard nodded, and I quickly got to work. "Counting seven more signatures within range." I picked one, and the moment I broke through, got to work on another, significantly closer than the first. Don't want one I'm hacking to be shot after all. I was halfway through by the time gunfire went off, and they started to run ahead to take advantage of the situation. I finished the hack, and ran to join them, just seeing the back of Liara's foot around the corner.

"Damn it, Tali! We should have let Wrex into the bet, not you!" Ashley exclaimed, keeping some humor.

"Geth are machines, Williams. And I'm very good with machines," I chuckled as I helped them wipe out the last few of the robotic Bosh'tets. Still… something isn't right. There should have been a Geth base. Not just outposts. And this most certainly can't be. We continued making our way back to the Mako, the others starting to believe that our work here was done. I kept watching my omni-tool. We were just reaching the airlock when I received new signals. And lots. "Stop! Wait! Detecting more signals just outside the bunker. If we go up, we'll be shot one by one!" I called out.

"Damn," Shepard murmured. "Kaidan, you and I will hack into Geth with Tali. We need a distraction."

"What about a bombing run?" Ashley suggested.

"Not with the Mako next to the bunker, I'd rather not lose that if possible," Shepard remarked. Kaidan and Shepard worked on their Omni-tools as I worked on mine. Taking it just slightly slower so that we could start this together. Soon, we finished our hacks, and Wrex was the first up the ladder. Followed by Shepard, Williams, Garrus, myself, Kaidan, and Liara. By the time I had gotten up and out, while my kill counter had been rising, only two Geth were left. Shepard and Garrus got them both with their rifles at nearly the same time. And my name was at the top of the list.

"Well, congratulations, Tali. When it comes to Geth, you are the deadliest of us all. Barring Wrex and Shepard, it seems," Garrus whistled.

"I expected to keep those twenty creds, but hey, fair's fair," Ashley shrugged. I raised a hand in victory, but, I didn't feel a desire to celebrate.

"Something's not right, Commander," I stated. Shepard cocked his head to the side as he looked at me. "There should have been a base on one of these worlds. And this couldn't have been it. No Geth servers, no means for them to create more Geth units, just a defended position. Hold on," I activated my Omni-tool and scanned for… anything. Then I picked up a signal. From a receiver. I went to a Geth body and removed the unit. I linked it with my Omni-tool, and… yes. That's it. "There's a transmission. In the cluster, by the looks of the strength. Give me an hour back on the Normandy, and I'll have coordinates," I stated firmly.

"You got it. I'll alert Captain Stanford."

* * *

 **Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau**

Tali had narrowed down the Geth signal to the Grissom system, a moon called Solcrum. My girl was in FTL and would be entering the edge of the system soon. We'd disengage from FTL, fire up the stealth drive, and see just what is waiting for us. They know we're coming, and Shepard doesn't think it's a good idea to come at the Geth with anything less than a distinct number advantage. And I'd agree with him. Find out what the Geth have in store, bug out back to Hong, make a plan.

"Disengaging FTL in five…" I began the countdown. Navigation had confirmed it was time, now my finger was hovering over the button. Shepard was standing just behind me, watching the viewports, even though there'd be nothing for us to see. Engineering confirmed that the drive core was ready. I finished the countdown, and the pitch-black void of FTL was replaced by the faint light of the star, Grissom, as well as the other faint stars of space. "Stealth drive active, all emissions successfully trapped," I spoke aloud, confirming for the Commander. "Running system scan now." Shepard began pacing for the few minutes it took to complete the scan. "Scan complete. What kind of weird space bug ships are waiting for us?"

"Aw crap," I muttered. "Two Geth cruisers, four frigates, and eight corvettes."

"Damn," Shepard murmured. "Fall back to Hong, we'll need reinforcements."

"Uh, yeah, like, maybe few more Dreadnaughts? Just to be safe?" I suggested, only half-joking.

"Not sure the fleets can spare _that_ much," he chuckled. "But I'm thinking… a carrier, four more cruisers, and that's keeping three we already have as a blockade, and… six more frigates."

"Still a lot of ships," I mused.

"True, but you saw the Geth ships. Even frigates caused problems. They're fast, have a lot of guns, as they don't need crew spaces, and they're big for their classes. Not to mention their GARDIAN lasers might just be better than even the Salarian's. That's why I want a carrier. We need all the fighters it has to overwhelm the system and get disruptor torpedoes to their shields. And then to counter any fighters those cruisers have." The logic was sound. I had already gotten the ship turned towards Hong and back into FTL as he explained. "Let me know when we've regrouped with Stanford. I'll want to brief him and get him in the call with Hackett."

"Aye, aye."

Another day had passed. Hackett had sent the requested ships, and we had frigates in the other systems keeping an eye out for Geth escape. They found nothing, and the reinforcements had just grouped up. Shepard was on the bridge again, looking out at the battlegroup we had assembled. Resupply ships had arrived alongside the reinforcements and were in the process of re-stocking all our ammo.

"Commander Shepard, this is Rear Admiral Bradford of the Carrier SSV Hawking. Admiral Hackett saw fit to send me to take Command of our naval forces here," a woman with a thick British accent greeted over comms. Hm, well the British have plenty of experience with the navy.

"Yes Ma'am." Shepard returned.

"Before we begin planning I need to assess the damage sustained during the previous encounter. Captain Stanford?"

"Ma'am," the gruff voice of the Captain appeared. "My Dreadnaught sustained no damage worth nothing. Just minor burns along our hull. My engineers assure me we're still at one-hundred percent. The Cruiser Budapest sustained some heavier damage to its port side. They report that another hit will result in a hull breach. It was the action of the Perugia which prevented that, drawing fire from and destroying a Geth frigate. It suffered minor damage, similar to our own. The other three cruisers suffered minimal damage, and as you know, will be remaining as a blockade. Our frigates have more variety in damage. Several suffered hull breaches that have been contained and are no longer keeping the crew from performing. Some have light scoring along the armor, and some are untouched, including Normandy. As for fighters, we have lost the equivalent of an entire fighter wing, and another dozen are finalizing repairs."

"Commander, I understand you will be on the ground prior to the attack?" The Admiral questioned after taking a moment to think.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Then bring your executive officer to the bridge. And Flight Lieutenant Moreau, I recommend you listen closely. The Normandy will have a unique role in this battle." Shepard went to grab Presley from CIC as the others waited for his return.

"Before I begin, I remind you that while I have leadership of this battle group, I did not make it to Rear Admiral by ignoring the thoughts and suggestions of those under my Command. Stanford is the first Human to combat the Geth Navy, while the Commander has the most experience of fighting Geth in general and procured details on Geth ships from the Migrant Fleet. I'm sure the Quarian on board can answer any questions that may arise in the meantime. Now, while I will listen to suggestions, allow me to paint the full picture of my plan first." She explained. She then paused and cleared her throat.

"Stanford, I want you to take the remaining wings from the fighter groups that suffered the most losses and merge them together. The Kilimanjaro and the Budapest will be the escort of the Hawking. Budapest will be at a closer range than Kilimanjaro, but further away than the rest of our ships. Its starboard broadside shall face the enemy ships and fire. Their main goal will be to suppression, not damage. We want as many rounds from the Kilimanjaro's main gun to impact Geth ships, in addition to rounds from our other cruisers and frigates. I want you to replace the most vulnerable frigates with those originally tasked with the blockade. I wouldn't normally do this, but we need them. Ignoring the Normandy, our fastest and most intact frigates will form a Wolfpack squadron. They will skirt the edges of the battle until a hostile's shields are about to collapse. Either from torpedo or sustained fire. They will then swoop in and unleash a payload. Aim for the drive core if possible, those will be our only reliable kill-shot against synthetics."

"Now, for the Normandy. I've been toying with ideas on how to utilize a ship with a stealth drive since I was ordered to come here. After you drop off the Commander, you are going to return to the battlegroup, so we can place two trident fighters in your hanger. You will return to Grissom ahead of us, and position yourselves below the Geth ships. Specifically, beneath the cruisers. Your stealth drive will remain active, and once positioned, your cargo bay will be open. The fighters will keep their drive cores offline, and instead propel themselves with their backup propellant thrusters. They will position themselves, and on our signal, launch their disruptor torpedoes. Their GARDIAN systems will be offline and their shields will collapse just as we exit FTL. The Normandy and the fighters will fall back and regroup with us. The fighters with their original squadrons, and the Normandy will make hit and run strikes against the enemy. Largely at your own discretion, but targets we mark for you will need to be a priority."

"An interesting plan, Ma'am, but frigates aren't built to house fighters. Will the Normandy even be able to hold them?" Stanford asked.

"I am. I have the Normandy's schematics and compared the measurements of the cargo bay with measurements on our fighters. It'll be tight, and some items may need to be moved, but they'll fit and be able to exit," Bradford reassured. "Once the battle begins, we will otherwise fall into standard procedures, keeping our ships at medium-to-long range. The Corvettes will likely try to move into knife-fight range, but I'll set aside a large portion of our fighters to deal with them, and our frigates that won't be a part of the wolfpack will be tasked with defending our cruisers from their own Corvettes and Frigates."

"One question. The coordinates of the Geth base put it right below their defense ships. I'm not eager to have any of our misses start dropping on the Commander's head. If he haunts my ass, a slight ghostly nudge could break my legs," I remarked. Shepard and Pressly chuckled. I think a smirk spread across Bradford's, but I couldn't tell. No vid-com.

"I've already taken that into account. While we won't be able to do much to stop any debris from the battle, we won't approach the planet head on. We will instead approach from the side. From our angle, the only thing behind the Geth will be space," Bradford answered.

"One final thing that comes to mind, Rear-Admiral. During our engagement against the first Geth outpost, a Corvette broke off and attempted to neutralize my team and I. Air support from Normandy saved us. If that happens again, or Geth ground forces are simply too much for us, could we expect air support again?" Shepard asked.

"I'll task a fighter squadron to listen for support. They'll keep clear of the thick of battle but be on standby should either of us require it."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Don't thank me, Commander. I don't think the brass would take too kindly to the First Human Spectre dying because I was stingy," she joked. "Now, repairs and resupply should be finished shortly. Normandy, discharge your drive core, vent your heat sinks, and get moving. I want you at full capacity before we begin. And make sure your cargo bay is ready."

"We'll begin immediately. Normandy out," Shepard ended the call. He gave me a nod and proceeded to prepare for the ground mission. And likely to help out with making room. Pressly returned to his station. I stretched my arms, clasped my hands, reversed them, and pushed them out wards to crack my joints.

Let's see what my baby can do.

* * *

 **Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau**

I took a deep breath. This was it. The Commander and crew had been dropped on Solcrum, and we were had already disengaged from FTL at the edge of the system. With the stealth drive active, I was piloting the Normandy below the Geth ships. And they were just coming into view. If they get a visual on us we're screwed. Ok, well, the plan is screwed. They wouldn't be able to lock onto us and we could bug out to join the others. But as we continued to get closer and closer, nothing changed. Not the position of the ships, not their emissions, nothing. We had come out of FTL in a direction different to where the attack would come. And had done so on purpose. Given when we drop from FTL some emissions break through. The ships were facing where we had dropped, their broadsides wide open for when the battle group arrives. And, lucky us, the cruisers were close together. Soon, I had 'parked' the Normandy with its bow facing the underside of the Geth ships. I double checked to make sure the cargo bay was clear. The pilots were in their fighters, and some of the Marines that defend the ship were suited up in the cargo bay to help push the fighters out, give em a bit extra momentum.

With everything clear, I began venting the cargo bay. Once done, I opened the bay doors, and watched the underside cameras as the two fighters slowly started to make their way out, one after the other. If they scratch the paint job I'm gonna be pissed. Fortunately, they didn't. One fighter gently propelled itself in the direction of one cruiser, and the other, to the other. I checked the mission clock.

"Right on schedule. Atta girl," I whispered to the ship. Now, to wait here till those torpedoes detonate, launch some rounds at the underbelly. I hated looking at these ships. Looking like bugs and having those creepy little legs on their ships. Ugh. The ship was eerily quiet as we waited. At least the shots were already lined up. Just waiting for me to hit the button to send them off.

It was time. The mission clock just came down to zero. The fighters both fired off their disruptor missiles and flared to life. There was nothing the Geth could do. Their defense systems were offline, conserving power. The disruptor torpedoes both hit their mark as I got blips from Alliance ships dropping out of FTL. I slammed down on the button to fire weapons and the two Mass Accelerator rounds on the underside of the ship fired straight up into the Cruiser, piercing the hull easily at this range and causing some explosions.

"Cruiser shields are down! Kilimanjaro, take them out! All fighter wings, engage! Wolfpack, get hunting! All ships, fire at will!" Bradford ordered. The fighters we brought got the hell out of dodge, and I turned the Normandy right around, out of the line of fire. I watched in the rear camera as the cruiser we hit was struck by a volley from our Cruisers, and it began to collapse. While the dreadnaught fired one massive round that simply sheared through the other, detonating the drive core. I doubt either got to launch fighters. The remaining Geth ships were scrambling. Turning to deal with the threat on their flank, which proved to be a perfect opportunity for us. As frigates and Corvettes turned, they left their rears vulnerable. And they're likely focusing power to their forward kinetic barriers. And that means…

We fired another volley at a frigate, before it could really get moving, and as expected, it tore the ass of the bug ship apart, the drive core detonating in a blue explosion of element zero. Another frigate began to turn to engage us, but a round struck its broadside, and the ship was cut in two pieces. And then the swarm of fighters arrived.

"This is Commander Shepard. The base is defended by two Geth Colossi and several Armatures. Requesting air support," the comms lit up.

"This is Rogue Leader. Rogue squadron inbound for a bombing run, stay clear," a man's voice responded. Heh, Rogue Squadron, of course that exists.

"Yeah just try not to end this like Scariff," the Commander joked. As I readied the Normandy for another pass, I noticed just how enveloped by the fighters the Geth ships were getting. Overwhelming their GARDIAN systems and without any fighters of their own, it was like a swarm of insects covering up a… bigger insect, and devouring it in what seemed like seconds. And this had seemingly become cleanup duty. The wolfpack had already made several passes at ships whose shields were brought down, and a few had been brought down by our hit and run tactics from behind. The fighters just dropping bombs all over, the Dreadnaught and several cruisers providing a near endless barrage of fire onto the Geth? I call that a win.

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Mako landed with a thud as the Normandy soared away to regroup with Bradford. In the sky we could see the Geth cruisers relatively well, and the frigates as specks, barely visible. The gas giant Solcrum orbited was much closer to a small sun than a gas giant and dominated most of the sky in a blue light. Another of the moons took up more, and the rest, stars. We took it slow, as we didn't want to begin until the battle begun. And so, the Mako was parked at the bottom of a ridge surrounding the crater the Geth base had been built into. Waiting.

"I think I see the Normandy," Garrus called out some time later. Must have used quite a high zoom with the cannon's optics.

"Then stay frosty. Won't be long now." A few minutes later, we saw a flash in the sky, a further ways away then the Geth ships. Followed by more and more flashes, and the explosion on the underside of a Geth cruiser.

"Cruiser shields are down! Kilimanjaro, take them out! All fighter wings, engage! Wolfpack, get hunting! All ships, fire at will!" Bradford ordered. That confirms it, they're here, and the plan worked. I got the Mako out of park and started the drive up the hill. Only a moment later, we came over the end.

"Oh, fuck that!" I exclaimed upon seeing not just one, but two Geth Colossi guarding the base's entrance, in addition to several armatures. I reversed us back down the hill right away. "This is Commander Shepard. The base is defended by two Geth Colossi and several Armatures. Requesting air support."

"This is Rogue Leader. Rogue Squadron inbound for a bombing run, stay clear," a man's voice warned. I barked a short laugh. Not surprise there's a fighter squad out there under that name.

"Yeah just try not to end this like Scariff," I joked. Tali looked at me from the side with her head cocked to the side. "Old movie reference." We watched overhead for the fighter wing and saw them come over our heads after their run, feeling the ground shake. Seconds later, the leader spoke up.

"Commander this is Rogue Leader. We can confirm that the target area has been cleared. Happy hunting."

"Much appreciated Rogue leader. Have fun with-" I glanced back to the battle above. The Geth were suffering heavy losses. "Scraps left up there." I brought the Mako back towards the Geth base, happy to find smoldering and shattered remains of the Geth war machines among the new craters. And the entrance was still intact. A smooth, black matte metal like bunker shell in the center of the crater. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of us waiting outside in the heat of the small sun to get that open. So, Tali and I worked together to hack into its programs and opened a small entrance to its side. We got out and rushed inside. No airlock. Temperature is likely controlled, but air? Why would the Geth need air? The design of the interior remained much the same. Smooth, regular, simplistic, and practical. Alien.

"I feel like even an animal could tell this place was made by machines," Garrus murmured.

"So do I. The Geth aren't much for unused space," Tali added. "Wait, reading signals, on the other side of the door."

"Techs, let's give ourselves an advantage then," I ordered. Garrus, Kaidan, Tali and I got to work. Garrus was the slowest of us for this, but he succeeded. Couldn't even hear gunfire in the other room, so we chanced it, and it played out. Along the wall were what appeared to be charging stations for Geth units, and there was currently one of those Hopper Geth jumping around, occasionally firing at some other Geth inside. And the sound of a machine on a rampage hinted that a Destroyer had been hacked. Using the distraction, we pushed further in. Taking out a few more Geth troops as we got ourselves a foot hold. And some were already on the ground from the hacks.

"Juggernaut above," Tali warned.

"Wrex! With me! Everyone else, cover us!" Wrex and I ran for a staircase to an upper level, happy to have the night vision in our helmets as there was hardly any light at all in here. Just the Geth heads and the lights from their tech. Some troops that tried to open fire on us were cut down as we ran, and the way up the stairs was enclosed, protecting us. The Juggernaut had its back turned to us, which gave me the perfect opportunity to pull out a grenade, activate it, run forward and shove it into a mass of wires and cords on its back side, then run the hell away before it could turn. It didn't even react. As if it didn't feel me jamming a grenade into what was basically it's guts. The grenade detonated and took the Geth's torso with it. With the elevated position, we made short work of those who remained.

"Alright, regroup, find the control room to this place. Geth run on servers, right? Let's shut those servers down before they make more-" I paused as I heard a faint sound in the comms. "You hear that?" It got a bit louder.

"No, it can't be…" Tali murmured. It sounded like a feminine voice, but I couldn't make out the words. If it was even English. "Over here." We quickly rejoined her as she led us to a back room. There was a console against what looked like the front of a server farm, and there was a monitor over the console. The sound became clearer. On the monitor was a Quarian woman singing a song to a silent crowd. Given the background, no doubt on the Migrant Fleet. For some reason, it wasn't being translated, but, her tone sounded… mournful. Sad.

"Tali, what's she saying?" I asked quietly.

"I suppose it's not surprising it's not translating. It's an older dialect. It was used less and less the longer we remained on the fleet…" she murmured. "It's a song about our loss. Our home world, billions of our people, the innocence of ourselves and our children. I've seen this recording before."

"Shepard, got a transmitter here," Kaidan called out. Tali's attention was immediately grabbed and she made her way to investigate herself, before I got there, she had it figured out.

"It's… transmitting into the Perseus Veil? Why would the Geth want a recording of us mourning the loss of our planet?! Our people?!" Tali exclaimed, getting upset, clearly. "Is it not enough for them to know they beat us?! But they have to know our sufferings as well? Our sorrow? Is it just so they can laugh at us and mock us from our own Ancestor's damned home world?! I'm shutting those servers down! Ending each of the Geth Bosh'tets inside," she proclaimed, and by the sound of it, she was crying through her anger. I put a hand on her shoulder

"Tali, wait," I gently stopped her. She turned her head right back, I saw it in her eyes, somehow. She was a mess. "We'll destroy the servers. Destroy the Geth. But first, why don't we find out precisely what they were doing here? Pull all their files from the terminal? We might just learn something," I reminded. She paused, and took a deep breath, calming herself.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll pull what data I can."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: And boom! Space battle! Hell yeah! Everything about the space battles was me elaborating off of details in the wiki, as well as how space battles should work, mostly. (like Normandy going below or above Geth ships during the battle) The classes of ships were also from the Wiki and the names of the ship's are pre-existing names. The reason I had those ships return, Hawking and Perugia for example? Well… you'll see I make it a nice little tie in later on. I request that if you know you keep quiet in reviews for now. But the names of Captain Stanford and Rear-Admiral Bradford? That was a mix of pulling a name out of my ass and the ME name generator. Oh! And the details Liara gave about the planet Junthor are also accurate, I checked all the planets of all the systems before doing anything. Hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next one!**


	22. An Empty Grave

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, got some news that you're all going to want to hear. So! I have my AP tests this coming week. As well as finals related things in the other classes. Point: in order to ensure I have minimal stress during this period of time, as well as a means to just help me refresh, I'm going to be going on a small hiatus. I can GUARANTEE you another upload next Monday. There is the POSSIBILITY that I may upload sooner, get the schedule going sooner. I still have every intention of continuing the story. And I also apologize that this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. For my older readers, you know how things were there. Take into account that for me, writing that, Andromeda was still new and fresh, and the combat and exploration fun. Side quests of any real importance were normally on the planet I was already on. This is ME1. Combat ain't great, the worlds to explore have bad terrain, and side quests that are important enough to include are a bit scattered amongst those which aren't which make tracking and planning not as easy as it could be. But these are just Mass Effect 1 problems. Not Mass Effect problems. I am certain that once I get to ME2, I'll feel more invigorated. After all, it's going to be rather fun writing Shep's interactions with TIM and Cerberus there. Not to mention a larger variety of crew, including more of my favorites. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you either next Monday, or perhaps sooner.**

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Geth had been fought off. And our only casualties were a handful of fighters. While it's still an unfortunate loss of a handful of lives, we had the right amount of caution, strategy, firepower, and luck to prevent further casualties. Bradford was taking the battlegroup back to Arcturus to regroup with the Fifth Fleet and get their ships repaired, and the Normandy was still without a scratch. I'd be sending the data Tali pulled from the Geth servers before she shut them down, and we subsequently worked with a demo-team from the battlegroup to blow the base to hell. But first, I wanted to sift through the data. See what it is that we pulled. After all, someone on my ship could certainly use that data…

"Tali, come on up to my quarters. I want to look through the Geth data," I called for her on the intercom.

"On my way," she responded. After a few minutes, there was a knock on my door, and she entered. I had already set up a display holo on the center of the table linked with my computer, which we would use to both look over the data. I gestured for her to take a seat.

"Shall we?" Tali nodded in response. "So, just what am I all looking at here?" I scrolled down through the list of files with a wave of the arm. Folders and folders likely filled with more and more folders, and all in names I couldn't make out, very lengthy and numerical. Tali leaned in close. She peered at the display, humming quietly to herself. I imagine she was slightly sticking her tongue out in thought.

"May I?" she asked. I nodded, and she scrolled through herself. Opening some folders before backing out to the main set. "We obviously won't be able to learn about every little thing that was in the database, but I believe most of it to be technical information. Schematics for Geth bodies. From a drone to a Colossus. What they're capable of, how many Geth units one body can hold. And I believe there's also a larger variety of information on Geth ships than the Fleet was able to provide. Or perhaps it's simply more up to date and specific. All of this provides good insight into their technological capabilities. Whether or not how we can replicate that technology ourselves, I can't say. But…" she trailed off, and started to search through again. Hm, this data would prove useful to the Alliance, and no doubt make a good pilgrimage gift for her.

"Keelah," she murmured.

"What did you find?" Tali did not verbally respond. Not yet. Instead she opened the folder, opened another inside, scrolled through some files, and then opened another. Lines of code appeared on the screen. Geth code, I'd assume.

"Shepard, this database includes an overview of how the Geth have evolved! Not just their technology, or their bodies, but the actual Geth software itself! From their creation, to their rebellion, to the latest of them. It's a roadmap of their evolution, and a perfect way to predict their future evolution!" Tali exclaimed. Well, I think Tali is going to become a 'Hometown hero' except for her entire species. She looked at me with wide eyes, and I gave her a half smile, and a teasing look. She immediately began wringing her hands on the table. Eyes darting down meekly. I'll be honest, the sudden burst of shyness like this is adorable.

"Shepard…"

"Yes, Tali?" my grin remained.

"I… I need to talk. It's… important," she began wringing her hands faster.

"Oh?" I rested my elbows on the table, arms up, chin in my hands. "Whatever could there be to talk about, my friend?" I still wanted to have some fun, but I also wanted to try and release some of her nerves. Adding friend should help.

"Well… this information, and… my pilgrimage, I need a gift, and because I'm an Admiral's daughter how everyonejustexpectsmetobringbacksomethinggreatand-" she began slow, and then just that rapid, flustered burst of words. I burst into laughter.

"Tali! Relax!" I managed between the laughs, leaning back in my chair. "You want a copy of the data to bring back to the Migrant Fleet, I understand, and expected it. Come on, relax," I calmed, smiling as she seemed to be trying to shrink herself. Embarrassed.

"I'm sorry… just, all this information… the Migrant Fleet hasn't come across such a vast wealth of data on the Geth before. It could be vital in our efforts to understand them. Maybe even the key to reclaiming Rannoch," she murmured.

"And it's precisely why I planned to give you a copy of any data we found the moment we set foot in the Geth base."

"I just-what?" she stopped herself, having begun whatever sentence she was planning in case I was reluctant.

"You heard me. Go right ahead, copy it down to your Omni-tool. No Alliance encryptions to break through, just any and all Geth ones. Go on, I insist," I waved a hand at the display. Tali just remained frozen as I spoke. Until she stood, walked up to me, bent down, and wrapped her arms around me, head on my shoulder, all in one fell swoop. Before I could even blink. Well, this feels nice.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated, and I returned the hug. My arms going around to her upper back, as I just chuckled.

"You're not going to leave us now, are you?" I asked, my smile fading. She immediately pulled her face back, giving me a confused look as one eye was partially closed, her head cocked to the side.

"What? No! No, no. I'm here to help stop Saren. And he hasn't been stopped yet, has he? I promise to stay at least until he is defeated. And… maybe even a bit longer. I'm starting to like it here," she chuckled awkwardly.

"That's good to hear," the smile returned. "You've grown on us too, Tali. I mean, think how heartbroken Wrex would be if you left before he could teach you all of his tricks?" Tali allowed herself a laugh as she returned to her seat in the other chair.

"Shepard, my people… I, owe you a great debt. One I can never repay," she stated softly.

"Tali, you're a good friend. No payment necessary. I tend to do good things for the people like, because I enjoy it. But if you want to keep thinking about it that way, consider this being me paying my debt to you for giving us the data that convicted Saren," I pointed out.

"Which was my payment in exchange for you having saved my life," she countered. I simply chuckled.

"Let's just say we call it even, eh?"

"Isn't that the end you were just trying to reach?" she pointed out, no doubt smirking.

"I'm a stubborn man. All you're going to get out of me is that we're even," I shrugged.

"And perhaps I'm a stubborn woman and will refuse to back down from my claim that I have a debt to repay," she crossed her arms over her chest, her voice full of humor. Well, time for my trump card.

"Then, I will not allow you to copy that data until you agree that we are, and shall remain even." Her shoulders slumped.

"Damn it," she pouted. "Fine. We're even." It was silent for about five seconds before we both just laughed together. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Shepard."

"Hm. You know… I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you either, Tali. Guess we both just got lucky then," I remarked.

"I guess we did…" she trailed off. She's a good, smart woman, and I really am glad to have met her. I like that although I can't see her facial expressions, I can instead figure them out just by looking at her eyes. There's her little button nose as well. And the cloth that wraps around her body is pretty, making purple look good. _And that is a nice body…_ agh, damn it, I stopped myself. Shaking the thoughts out. I realized it had been silent the whole time. I then noticed her eyes were looking in my direction, before they glanced at my eyes, back at their original target, then back at my eyes again like a double take, and by the look of her eyes, formed an awkward smile.

My Omni-tool rang, being called. I sat straighter and turned to the terminal. It was Hackett.

"It's Hackett. Talk to you later, Tali."

"See you later, Shepard," Tali stood, took her copies, and left. The moment the door closed, I answered.

"Admiral." I greeted.

"Commander. Excellent work in the Armstrong Nebula. Rear-Admiral Bradford has already given me a full report of the naval engagements, and I was looking to discuss the ground missions and then bring you up to speed on a new development that should interest you. Anyways, there turned out to be more than just the four outposts?"

"Indeed, sir. The last outpost we neutralized was inside an abandoned research station from some start-up miners. Tali suspected that we hadn't fully rooted out the Geth, and found the signal, which led us to their main base. We found servers full of Geth and information. Tali and I just finished getting a general idea of what's inside. Details on their combat units, ships, as well as technical information, like the evolution of their software. There's likely a larger variety, but there's just so many files to look through. Transmitting them now."

"I see. I'm sure this intel will turn out to be valuable. And consider allowing Ms. Zorah to take that information back to the Migrant Fleet. For them to consider it as us repaying the favor, and a show of good faith," Hackett suggested.

"Off the record, sir, I may or may not have already allowed her to copy the data as her pilgrimage gift," I chuckled.

"Hm," Hackett smirked. "Well, onto the new development. Someone's been killing former Alliance scientists. Four deaths in the past month." I raised a brow.

"Ex-Alliance scientists rapidly being killed off? With respect, sir, that sounds like some kind of cover-up."

"And this is where I believe this mission gets personal, Commander. Their profiles have been analyzed with my level of clearance, and there was only one thing we could find that connected them. A classified project, and all we could get was the location of the project. Akuze. Right around the time of the massacre." Fucking. What?

"Sir?"

"You heard me right, Commander," Hackett sighed.

"Fucking Cerberus. Has to be," I growled, my anger rising rapidly.

"I'm inclined to suspect the same. It's one of the two reasons I've brought this up to you. I know Cerberus is one of your targets, and how important this may be to you. But, Commander, please, take a deep breath, and listen." Whatever he was about to tell me he needed me to be of a calm mind for. That was a lot to ask for, but I need to hear him through. I took the deep breath. "There is one final scientist we know of that was on the project. Dr. Wayne. We want him alive." That is a lot to ask from me. "I see you're struggling with that. But keep this in mind. If this is a Cerberus death squad, perhaps they're cutting loose ends that might be about to talk. If we bring Dr. Wayne alive, then we could learn more about who was involved. About Cerberus. It's information that could save lives."

"I… I understand, sir. We'll bring him back alive."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

I was tense. I knew it, and I'm sure the others knew it. And they understand. I had briefed them on what the mission was while we were still en-route. The planet was Ontarom. A remote world, and entirely habitable as well. Yet, no colonies. The reason being that it's in a decaying orbit with another planetoid, and a catastrophe on the planet is only centuries away. The planet has a variety of environments, but we'd be landing in some highlands. Some large, flat plateaus, some valleys, all covered in grass with the occasional herd of grazing animal. The Mako had already landed atop one of these plateaus, and I was driving it towards a small research station built into it. Researching the unique natural life of this doomed world. We came to a ridge against the plateau, and could see the entrance to the facility, built on a kind of middle ground between the top of the plateau, and the base of the valley.

"Shepard, a round just impacted our shields. Appears to have come from a Sniper," Tali informed calmly. "Only lost two percent." I started just driving the Mako around so that we would soon be right atop them, giving Garrus a good angle.

"Try to leave a body intact. I want confirmation of this being Cerberus," I ordered Garrus just before he'd get that angle. I stopped the Mako, rounds pinging off our shields again, as Garrus opened fire with the MG.

"One of them's a Turian, Commander." He paused for a moment. "Was. Can't be Cerberus. Not directly. Merc group, looks like."

"Could be they were hired as an auxiliary. Throw people off their trail?" Kaidan suggested.

"It's possible. If that's the case, I'd like to capture one of them alive, ask some questions," I responded. Garrus then gave us the all clear, and I drove down to the facility's entrance, and we disembarked. Within the main entrance, a room for storing equipment or outside wear. Equipment and clothing tossed about, a body crumbled against one of the crates. Scientist, it looks like, but a woman. Dr. Wayne was a man. We remained in formation and went further into the facility. It was a large living space. Kitchen, dining, recreation, all placed together into one large room. A pool table was on its side, the green facing us, a large TV screen smashed in, a couch shot up, as was most of the kitchen. Unfortunately, I had to pull my head back to avoid hostile fire, placing myself on a knee in cover, as gunfire roared. These were mercs, alright. And they had a Krogan.

"Williams, Alenko, I want grenades behind the pool table and by the kitchen. Wrex, if the Krogan lives, I want you to take him down while Liara and Alenko work their biotics to protect us, and we get a foothold inside. Understood?" The team nodded. Grenades were cooked, thrown, and detonated. There were cries of surprise and pain from the mercs as Kaidan and Liara gave us a barrier, and Wrex set his eyes on the Krogan, still recovering from having dived away from the grenade. We charged. A burst from my rifle took out a human, and a blast from Tali's shotgun broke through a Turian's shields and got them in the head. Must have been of a higher rank in this merc group. Garrus took down a Turian himself, while Wrex was already on top of the Krogan, giving his face a stomp, and sending his knife into the Krogan's throat.

"I surrender!" a man's voice called out. A weapon was slid out from cover, as was a helmet, and he cautiously stood, revealing a terrified, Human face. Weapons raised, we walked closer.

"Who are you working for?" I demanded.

"Some guy, don't even know his name. He just wanted to take us along to some planets, kill some scientists for some kind of revenge! We didn't ask questions! You can ask him yourself, he's in the bunk room, talking to the scientist he's after!" he explained rapidly. Hm, strange, but I need to get in there and stop this.

"Williams, secure him." We left her to take care of that as we rushed along, following the signs to the bunks. When we arrived, we saw two men. One was obviously Dr. Wayne. An old, balding man with light, wrinkly skin, with a pistol being held to his forehead. The man holding the pistol was armored like the mercs. Shaved head, darker skin, and his skin was scarred, like… acid burns. But almost as if they came from within his skin, rather than outside. He was wearing a helmet, yes, but not one that covered his whole head. I could see his cheeks and mouth and what looked like a burned away nose.

"Stay back!" the man warned. "I've got no grief with you! All I want is this bastard!" his voice sounded… familiar, somehow. But it also sounded… wrong, not like a human voice should naturally be. Too much struggle in speaking. Not from a lack of understanding, but rather it just being physically difficult to speak.

"Please! He's a madman!" Wayne pleaded. "Mr. Toombs, you're insane! You need help!" Toombs? Did I hear that right?

"It's Corporal! Corporal Toombs! You don't get to lie! Not today! Today it all comes out!"

My gun fell from my hands.

"T-Toombs?" I asked quietly. My hands reached for my helmet, and I lifted it off of my head. It can't be… he can't be alive.

"Shepard? Dear god… Shepard, is that you?" Toombs stared back.

"It's me, Toombs. How are you alive? I thought you and Gregory were dead! The Alliance never found you or any trace of you! Where's Gregory? Is he with you?" I felt a tear start to streak down my face. They weren't all dead. I wasn't the only one. Toombs remained silent for a moment.

"They took us. Both of us. The scientists. I survived, I escaped, but Gregory didn't…"

"You can't prove any of this! This man is delusional!" Wayne continued to plead. Toombs smacked him outside the head with his pistol, before retraining his aim on a man now on all fours on the ground.

"They were running tests on the Thresher maws. Then they lured us in, and let them slaughter us just to watch and study," Toombs continued.

"And they did it again too. Only a few weeks ago, on a planet called Edolus," I added, my own anger at a man responsible for forty-nine deaths rising.

"Fucking bastards… I woke up in a holding cell," Toombs started to have difficulty talking again. He was starting to choke up. They were… 'delighted,' Gregory and I survived. That they had… test subjects.

"Toombs… I-I swear upon… goddamn everything, if I had even a hint that anyone else had survived, I wouldn't have stopped looking until I found you. To this very day I wouldn't have stopped looking," I murmured.

"You can't believe Toombs!" Wayne shouted from his spot on the ground. "He doesn't have any proof! I demand a fair trial!" Toombs kicked the doctor's head.

"He was fucking there, you son of a bitch! He knows the truth! And do you want proof? Here's your fucking proof!" With one hand, Toombs removed his helmet, and let it drop to the floor. I heard Tali gasp as he looked at us all. His face had become almost skeletal, covered by a thin layer of skin, and seemingly an even thinner layer of muscle that had the same kind of acid scars all across. He was entirely bald, and it almost appeared like some of the skin outside his skull was gone.

"Jesus Christ, Toombs," I whispered.

"He's part of some secret organization. Cerberus. They run tests like this. Like the one you say you found. They treated me like a lab animal. Injected me with Thresher acid just to see what it does. This man deserves to die, Shepard. For me, for you, for Gregory, for everyone else. I don't want to kill anyone. I want to go to sleep without hearing screaming in my dreams. I want the bastards who sent us to Akuze, knowing what would happen brought to justice! But I'll settle for killing the men who took my life away. Please, are you with me?" It was Toombs' turn to plead.

"Toombs… it is taking every ounce of my willpower to not start beating the absolute shit of that fucking… shit stain on the ground right there," I clenched my fists, holding myself back. "But you're better than this. We're better than this. Better than them."

"Don't tell me who I am, Shepard. You got away from there. With nothing but some scars and a reputation. The rest of the unit died, and I was tortured for _years_ , Shepard. You can't judge me! You don't have the right!" Toombs cried out.

"I could have helped on Akuze if I knew, Toombs. Let me help now. You said you want justice? Do you want to take all of Cerberus down?"

"Of course I do. I want them all to pay," he answered quietly.

"I'm on Cerberus' trail. I'm hunting them. Hunting them like the monsters they are. We let this one live, we interrogate him, we learn more about Cerberus, and likely more of their locations. We stick this son of a bitch in a cell, and get justice by watching him live out the rest of his pathetic life behind bars, knowing we're better than them. Please…"

Toombs' arm started to shake. And his arm lowered, as did his gaze.

"I'm no murderer… They couldn't make me one. Just… as long as he goes on trial. So long as we find more of them," Toombs relented. I stepped forward and hugged the friend I thought dead for years. I think the others were securing Wayne, but I didn't notice. After some hesitation, Toombs returned the hug, shaking, crying, I think.

"Will the screaming finally stop?" he asked through the sobs.

"They'll get better." That was the best I could give him without lying. The screaming never goes away. Not fully. Not forever. "We'll take you and... Him, to Arcturus. The Alliance will handle him from there, and they'll have people to help you. We can catch up along the way, alright?"

"Thank you…"


	23. Vision

**AUTHOR'S NOTE! GREAT NEWS! So, other than me obviously being back, I have some great news that will be of particular interest to those who read Into the Great Unknown. My reader turned buddy, goes by Fleece, commissioned Palavenmoons to do a piece of artwork for the hot-tub scene by the end. It came out amazingly. She has plenty of other great Turian art as well and I will be adding a sentence long chapter to Into the Great Unknown that advertises it, as well as re-doing the foreword. So, no need for you to check that notification out if you see this. For the image itself, here's a link to the Tumblr post.** **palavenmoons tumblr com /post/173801810179/prelude-illustration-done-for-o-i-had-so-much** **Just be sure to add http before it, and replace the spaces with periods. This website is weird about links. Anyways, regular schedule resumes. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Normandy was coming into dock with Arcturus station. Dr. Wayne had spent the trip in the brig, while Toombs had a more comfortable time. Chakwas had done a medical check on him, giving him a mix of painkillers, as it turns out getting Thresher maw acid injected into your bloodstream causes some lasting pain even when it's gone. He enjoyed having a genuine meal, the crew respectfully kept their distance from Toombs and I, and we caught up. Mostly just keeping to casual topics. Toombs already knew what was going on in the Galaxy, so I had nothing to catch him up in that sense, and he explained that he never attempted contact with me upon his escape as he simply didn't think I'd believe the message. And… I don't know that I would have. I let him take my bed overnight, and I just took a sleeper pod.

Ashley and Kaidan were standing behind Wayne, who had his hands cuffed behind his back as we stood in the Normandy's airlock, waiting for the docking to finish. I had debriefed Hackett, and he had both a cell waiting for Wayne and plenty of questions to ask the son of a bitch, as well as doctors on standby. Both to help Toombs psychologically, and to try and repair some of the damage done to him physically. Surgeries to at least lessen the scars so long as Toombs accepted that help. Might be a long time before he's willing to let needles anywhere close to him. Toombs took a deep breath.

"Is it really over, Shepard?" he asked quietly.

"Other than some questions, yeah. Your part in this is over. I'll take it from here. You can rest easy. You've got your life back. Live it."

"I don't know how…"

"They'll help you with that. That's their job."

"Ok." Toombs took another deep breath. The airlock began equalizing itself with Arcturus. A short process. The doors opened. Two Alliance marines were waiting for Wayne, and a doctor, an older man dressed in semi-formal civilian garb, but keeping an identification tag clipped to his chest was waiting for Toombs. Ashley shoved Wayne forward to the Marines, and they took him away as the Doctor approached.

"Corporal Toombs? I'm Doctor Richards. Come with me, and I'll show you to your room, if you'd like. Then we can talk, if you're ready," he explained gently. Toombs, unsure, looked nervously at me. I gave him a nod, and a pat on the shoulder. He took another deep breath and left with the doctor. As I stood there, watching Toombs walk away, throwing one last glance back, my mind wandered to a certain track that had been lurking around the back of my mind for the last day.

Cerberus was responsible for Akuze. They were responsible for the deaths of forty-nine men and women under my command. And the torture of another, ruining his life. They were responsible for ruining my life. They were responsible for my father and I being on Elysium. And as far as I'm concerned, Cerberus is responsible for the death of my father. I swear to myself.

Cerberus. Will. _**Burn.**_

 **Commander John Shepard**

Turned out, we still had a job to do. While we were on our way to Arcturus, a spy probe watching our borders in the Traverse for Geth was shot down and crashed on a planet called Eletania. He wanted us to retrieve it. I spent most of the way to Attican Beta in my cabin. Just trying to calm myself down. My thoughts filled with Cerberus and what I wanted to do to them. Not to mention near constant flashbacks to why I wanted to do such things to them. I was furious, and managing to keep it internal. But I didn't want to explode to any of my crew. They don't deserve that. Maybe, just maybe, Eletania will be able to put something else at the forefront of my mind. Put me in a better mood. Which, nearly anything would be a better mood. I tried reading the report on the planet, but even when I finished, I was still… tense.

From first glance, Eletania looks like a perfect candidate for colonization. The atmosphere seems breathable, it's temperate, stable, and green blankets most every landmass visible, indicating thriving plant-life. Unfortunately, a closer look reveals that the world is hazardous. The plant-life is mostly mosses, algae, and lichen, and the remainder of the natural animal kingdom are microscopic symbiotes. Impossible to filter from the air, yet necessary for native life to thrive, and lethal to most non-native lifeforms. Including all known sapients. Our suits will need to be fully sealed off from the environment for us to be safe. Rely on a stored oxygen supply.

We arrived around our night cycle in the same day as Toombs was dropped off at Arcturus. I briefed the crew on the mission, and the world's hazards. We got into the Mako and waited to be over the drop zone.

"Commander, I'm detecting a small Prothean site to the east of the landing zone. On the other side of some mountains," Joker informed.

"We'll start off there. Ready to drop?"

"In three, two…. And one," Joker responded. The Mako began its plummet towards the ground. We'd be landing in a valley with the probe's crash site just to the north east. Starting with a detour wouldn't be a problem. I activated the thrusters, and the Mako landed with a thud. The valley itself was surprisingly flat compared to just about every other world we've explored, and looking at the mountains, an incline that shouldn't be too hard to climb. Especially for the Mako.

"Liara, we won't be staying to catalogue everything at the site. I just want you to do a quick look over, see if there's anything significant enough to warrant a research team, alright?" I explained to the scientist.

"I understand, Commander." I had no need to respond to her confirmation, and so, we remained quiet as we traversed the landscape. It was a bumpy ride up, but we crested the mountain. Only to then learn we had a bit more climbing to do. It dipped back down into a smaller valley and the incline we had to climb next was not as kind as the first. We'd make it up, but it would be annoying. Smaller rocks jutting out kept the Mako rocking around as we climbed. If only the thrusters could actually help a climb rather than just launching us back away from the mountainside. Still, we crested, and got eyes on the Prothean site below. Two pillars rising high up around a small, circular site with a kind of silver orb in the center. Floating. As soon as the front of the Normandy was pointed down, I activated the thrusters to launch us out and cut most of the way down short, and then activated them again to make the fall a bit gentler, parking the Mako on the rim of the circle. We sealed our suits and disembarked.

Liara made a beeline for the orb, rushing over excitedly as the rest of us took it a bit slow. Wrex didn't seem interested in the slightest. Ashley and Garrus only slightly interested. Glancing around a bit, but paying more attention to the perimeter, watching. Kaidan and Tali were interested, but obviously, not as much as Liara. And as for myself… I felt, drawn, to the orb. It was reflective as it hovered there. Completely still. Not making a noise.

"This is odd, there appears to be a piece missing. A sliver," Liara mused. I heard whispers. The same I did from the beacon. The same that still creep into my dreams every now and then. _Sliver. Charm. Luck._ The whispers repeated. Hinting, as always. Yet not giving a clear answer. Perhaps it can't? I wonder. The whispers arrived after I interacted with the beacon. They made images from the vision meaning. A word to go with it. They latched onto the word "Reapers" when Tali first brought it up. And now this. What if there was some form of Prothean intelligence in that beacon, and it… left something for me? And it's just trying to communicate like this. But what could it- I felt a rumbling against my waist. Coming from within a small bag clipped into my belt. The necklace I got from the Consort. I keep it on me like a good luck charm, as she suggested. Why not, right? I fished it out and, and felt it vibrating. And saw it glowing.

"What's that, Shepard?" Tali asked.

"A good luck charm I picked up a while back… it's vibrating. I think this might be the missing sliver," I explained, holding it up. Curiously, light didn't glint off it as one would expect from an object that seems to reflective. "Let's see if it fits." Liara waved me over, and I saw the hole in the otherwise perfect sphere. The sliver seemed to fit perfectly. So, I slid it in. The moment it was fully within the sphere, there was a flash of light. I fell back, feeling myself hit the ground.

 **Unknown**

Tired. Very tired. Head hurt, like rock smashed against. Eyes open. Trees all around. In forest. Tribe's caves not far. Can see cliff edge. Spear at side, not broken. Still tipped with deer bone. Sharp pain at back of head. Feel with hand. Larger, like small new hill in neck. Something hard inside. Piece of flint? Don't feel blood. Don't feel cut. How? Use spear to help stand. A noise. Like roar of bear, but, different. A demon? Look up, large creature in sky. Not like birds by lake. No head, no wings. How does it fly? Beast is shiny. Like white metal we sometimes find in caves. Pretty metal. Metal for chieftains. Could this be of the gods? It does not move, like cloud. It watches me. I watch it. I will not be prey. Raise fist, raise spear. Bear teeth, growl. Scare away. Creature rises high into sky. Quickly. Faster than any bird. It is gone. Lower spear, lower hand, grunt. It is gone. I am safe. Alone? Return to tribe. Brother at cave entrance. Surprised. Calls out. Children and other hunters exit caves. Brother runs to greet.

"You vanish in night. No trace. Thought you dead. What happen?" Children circle me. Eager to hear story. Hunters try to bring children back to safety of cave.

"Not know, brother. Wake alone in forest. Remember nothing. Head hurt. See beast in sky. Not bird. Covered by shiny metal. It watch. It leave. I return." Children whisper to children. Excited.

"Come. Speak to shaman." Hunter urges. I follow inside.

"Food? Water?" I ask.

"Eat. Drink. Then shaman," Hunter nods. Inside camp, more tribe sees, women, children, other hunters. Surprise. Thought me dead. I see her. She smiles. Perhaps now she accept. I am given berries, and water from deerskin. Food and water taste good. Feel good. Taken to Shaman. Old woman. Wise-woman. Visions from gods. She sits, covered by old, thick, animal skins. Keep warm. Cave walls painted with tribe history. Mammoth hunts. Peace with other tribes. War with other tribes. Lit by fire. Warm cave. Warm us. I tell story. She listen. Rub chin.

"I will speak with spirits." she say. She best talker of tribe. Chieftain, next best. She take plants. Berries. Mushrooms. Mix together. Cook. Take paints. Paint face. Hers, mine. She chants. She blesses. She takes spirit mix. She drinks. Eyes close. Mouth move, she speak, can not understand. Too quiet. Hour passes. She return. "The gods have chosen you."

"Choose for what?"

"They did not tell," Shaman laugh. "They marked you. Lump in neck is part of them. They are with you, always. I will speak with Chieftain. This is a good omen. You rest."

I return to hut. Knife and axe still inside. Good. I rest spear on ground, wrap body in fur. Sleep.

Later, woken by Chieftain son. There is feast. Hunters kill bear. Much food. Fire bright. Tribe gathered. Celebrate. Beat drums. Play flute. All stop as I come. Chieftain stand.

"Tonight, we celebrate blessing of gods. One of us, chosen by them. The gods be with him always. With us always. We shall have bountiful hunts. We shall have peace. We shall have honor. Tonight, we celebrate. Tonight, we honor the gods. We give thanks for blessing. As gods have chosen you," Chieftain looks at me. "My daughter choose you." Eyes wide. She accept. She stand. She smile. Tribe cheers. "Feast!" Dancers dance. Drums beaten. Flutes played. Tribe sings. Tribe eats. Later in night, new mate make baby with me.

Time passes. I learn more words. Taught by mate and Shaman. Life become normal. Return to hunts, keep mate fed. Keep baby inside mate fed. Fight tribes who try to take our land. Battle tribes to take their land. I survive. Baby born. Son. Make another baby. Daughter. Through many nights. Many days. Always feel the gods with me. Feel them seeing what I see. Feel what I feel. Smell what I smell. Always remember silver creature. Many children with mate. Some live. Mate die with last birth. Child died as well. Another winter. Must go farther for food. Getting old. Brother does not hunt anymore. I go alone this time. Find a rabbit? A deer? I am covered in furs to fight cold. Hunt will be long.

A noise. Like a mammoth cry when spear strikes. But different. And from above. The gods again? From clouds, dark sticks descend. Like legs of small bug, but large. Very large. Close. Skin of beast dark purple. It does not come to the ground. It hovers without wings. Without head. Like the gods. But not…

A great eye opens beneath, between two legs. It is red. It must be demon. It makes mammoth noise again. I feel fear. I run. Look back as red finger come from eye. It surrounds me. Burns like fire.

All goes black.

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Shepard?" a muffled voice asks. What… the hell… was that? I feel like a lifetime just passed. But I wasn't the one… living it. "Shepard!" the voice repeated louder. It was female… accented… I opened my eyes, grunting. A purple visor stared back. I felt a pair of three fingered hands shake me.

"Tali? What happened?" I asked.

"You put the sliver in the orb, it hummed, and then you just fell to the ground. We should be asking you what happened," she explained.

"Back in the Mako. How long was I out?" I asked as Tali helped me stand. Liara seemed disappointed that we were already leaving.

"You were out? You fell down, I ran to check on you, and you stirred the second time I called your name."

"That fast? Shit," I murmured. "This place is definitely being marked for research." We got back in the Mako, and the cabin was confirmed clean, so we could unseal our suits. Replenish oxygen supplies.

"What happened, Commander?" Liara asked as we got seated.

"Well… that's a bit of a story. As soon as I put the sliver in, there was a flash of light. Made me fall right on my ass. Dunno why you guys didn't see the light I did, but, doesn't matter." I let flashes of the memories return. "I then woke up, but not here. Not in my body, even. A forest on Earth, but not sure where. Could have been North America, could have been Russia, could have been Europe. I was wearing animal furs, had a bone tipped spear beside me. A pain at the back of the neck, plus the fact there was a ship watching overhead that I can only assume to be Prothean, seemed like the body I was seeing through was implanted with a kind of tracker. One that recorded what was seen, felt, smelled, heard, everything. I even heard the thoughts, but it all came to me as English. Broken English, but English. Essentially, I lived through the entirety of that man's life from that point forward. All in a flash like that."

"By the goddess," Liara murmured. "That's incredible."

"Well, I guess the Prothean ruins on Mars did confirm they were watching us," Kaidan mused. "Wonder how long. What they learned."

"Well, that's not the most interesting part, I have to say. Or frightening. It ended during a winter, many, many years later. There was a noise, much like the one Sovereign made when it flew away on Eden Prime. A ship of the exact same make descended and fired some kind of laser at him. Then I woke up back here."

"So, either Sovereign itself, or another Reaper ship?" Garrus suggested. "But that would mean they knew about Earth and Humans. Why leave the population intact to continue, not to mention leaving no trace?"

"Perhaps they only targeted ones the Protheans had implanted? Perhaps if the data recorder was left behind they believed it could have given us an edge later on, but only want to kill advanced species?" Liara mused further.

"But why wait? That's the part I don't understand," Ashley remarked.

"I admit that I don't have an answer for you, Williams. Perhaps eventually, I will. But as it stands now, we simply don't know enough to be sure," Liara answered. "Commander, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to discuss this further once we return to the Normandy."

"Sure. Right now, let's just get a move on. Feeling a bit shaken up," I shuddered from a chill.

"Of course." We drove back up the mountains, essentially reversing our initial path. Felt a bit easier this way, but, hell, for all I know, that's just memories of climbing mountains by hand getting in the way now. We returned to the main valley and made our way to the probes coordinates. We were coming up to a hill in the center of the valley. It looked natural, yet at the same time, its placement, how out of place it seemed, appeared unnatural. Perhaps it was just an odd thing nature did, or perhaps the Protheans built something beneath. Something we likely won't learn for a long time either way. We came around the bend, finding a crater beside the mound. The probe at the center, partially dug into the rock. We sealed our suits and disembarked. Approaching the probe.

"The hell? Some kind of space monkey?" Ashley exclaimed. There were a pair of corpses, that looked like a kind of purple monkey with black rings along its fur. The nose sticking out like an anteater, and big black buggy eyes.

"Pyjaks? What are Pyjaks doing here?" Wrex remarked, taking a closer look. "They sure as hell aren't native here."

"Guess they must be one of the few non-natives that can survive here." Tali pointed out. "It looks like the crash killed them." Shrugging, I went to take the module. Only to find that it wasn't there.

"Damn it… the monkeys made off with it, didn't they?" I grumbled. "Good thing the data module has its own tracker. Locking on to it." I fiddled with my Omni-tool to find the signal and got a location. "Reading it in another valley to the north west. Underground. Must be a cave. Let's move."

We skimmed the side of the mountain the signal was coming from, until we came across a Pyjak "colony" of dirt mounds that they seemed to be living in. A large cave entrance visible.

"Damn shame we found em in a place like this. Else I'd kill one to eat later," Wrex grumbled.

"Krogan delicacy?" Ashley remarked with some humor.

"No. Tuchankan vermin that we make do eating."

"Humans are apes. Monkeys are the next closest thing. Are we vermin?" Kaidan remarked.

"Some of you are alright," Wrex answered, likely smirking under the helmet. We made our way into the cave, and eventually, with the help of both the signal tracker and night vision in our visors, we found the Pyjak holding the data module. Shaking it and trying to eat it. Seeing us, it backed away, clutching at it. So, I pulled out an MRE, unwrapped it, and held it out for the Pyjak. It sniffed the air, then slowly came a bit closer. Sniffing the MRE. It made to grab it, but I jerked my hand back. Causing the Pyjak to recoil back into the corner as well. I used my other hand to point at the module. The Pyjak looked at the module, and at the MRE.

Slowly, it came closer, held the module out, and its other hand reached for the MRE. Once I had a hand holding tight onto the data module, I released the MRE and the Pyjak chittered, quickly taking bites out of the MRE.

"Note to self: Whenever you want something from an animal, offer it food. Even if it's shitty food," Ashley chuckled. We then heard the Pyjaks behind us screeching and running further inside. We readied our weapons. "I see lights coming around the corner. Flashlight headed bastards, must be!" We formed a firing line, and she was proved correct. Geth came around the corner, Geth were shot to pieces. Only about a dozen Geth units total, must not have expected us, just some small standard Alliance team.

"So, Geth did shoot it down. Must mean they want something in the cluster. But what?" I murmured. "I'll pass this along to Hackett. Might get word soon enough anyway."


	24. City of Ghosts

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Two pieces of news for you. On top of me apologizing yet again for missing Friday. First piece of news is letting you know that not only is the specific source of that stress gone, (a pre-calc class I didn't need to graduate which was absolutely kicking my ass and the shit-stain of a teacher who doesn't teach didn't help, nor did three different tutors.) But also, this week is my last week of High School! Period. Motherfucking graduation. So that means summer next week, and more time for this stuff! No, schedule will not increase. For what it's worth for this week, all of my finals are projects, and those are projects that I've already completed. Second piece of news, is that I will be going out of town this weekend, but it'll be a trip where I'll have my laptop, and I should have chapters for both Friday and Monday ready to go. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

"It's a damn good thing you found that data module, Commander, or it would have taken us a lot longer to catch on," Hackett remarked. It was the morning after the mission on Eletania, and I was woken up an hour early from an emergency call from the Admiral.

"Catch onto what, sir?"

"Another Geth attack. The probe detected the Geth on trajectory to the Theseus system. There's a colony there, on Feros. A planet covered in Prothean ruins. They're not responding to our hails. We're dispatching ships to eliminate any Geth naval presence, but I want you and your team on the ground to secure Zhu's Hope. Find out what the Geth are after and keep the colonists safe until we can force the Geth out."

"We'll depart immediately sir. We're still in Attican Beta and should arrive shortly."

"Understood, Commander. Good luck." The comm went silent, and the intercom went live.

"Joker, get us to the Zhu's hope colony at Feros immediately. Ground team, suit up. We have another Geth attack." I immediately left my quarters towards the elevator, and took it down with Kaidan, Liara, and Wrex, who had been eating. When it came to a stop, Garrus was pulling himself out from under the Mako, Tali just leaving engineering, and Williams, suiting up.

"What's the situation, skipper?" Ashley asked, calling out as everyone started doing what they needed.

"The Colony's gone dark and Geth were seen heading in that direction by the probe we retrieved. Hackett's sending a detachment to fight them off, but we're going to secure the Colony first. Find out what the Geth are after if we can," I answered.

"Don't think it's just a land grab?" Kaidan suggested.

"Certainly not," Liara stated. "The ruins of a Prothean city span two thirds of Feros' land mass. It's possible they could want something on Quana, a mining world in the same system with cities far more intact, but unfortunately, that only made it easier for looters to strip anything of value.

"So, it's most likely that what the Geth want is on Feros. Suppose we won't find out just how close whatever it is they're looking for is to the Colony?" Garrus remarked.

"I know that a Human Corporation, ExoGeni, is particularly interested in the ruins. Most of their research is focused over a relatively small area, and the Colony is within that. Even if the Geth's goal lies outside of it, they may well desire the information ExoGeni has gathered to locate it," Liara added.

"We have two objectives. We have to keep the colony safe, keep the colonists alive, and we have to find out what the Geth want. We can get a more detailed plan once we're on the ground," I stated. "It's likely we'll need to pay a visit to ExoGeni's main facility to find and secure any survivors there anyways." Content, the crew went silent, and continued preparing. The moment I had finished, I made my way to the bridge. Ideally, there'd still be a dock somewhere that we could disembark from the ship itself. Or slow the ship and drop us over the colony. Rappel down, or just get us close enough. Dropping from the Mako was hardly enticing, as the Colony and the ExoGeni HQ were all built into Prothean skyscrapers, and the piles of rubble covering the surface are far beneath. We came out of FTL and entered stealth immediately. We were somewhere between Feros and its closest moon.

"Geth cruiser, three frigates, and five corvettes in orbit. Colony and HQ are 'beneath' them. Guess they don't want us here," Joker remarked.

"Scan for ships in atmo, and try to hail the colony," I ordered.

"Scanning…" Joker trailed off as we started to enter Feros' dusty atmosphere. "Detecting a Geth cruiser… attached to the side of the Headquarters? Looks like clamps on its underside digging in. Looks really fucking weird, being roach ships," He grumbled. "Also getting a few dropships. Looks like they're holding patrol patterns for the most part. As for the colony," We passed between a pair of Prothean skyscrapers, crumbling and grey. The Normandy slowed, allowing us a clear view of the colony, built into a relatively intact skyscraper. One that seemed to act as a small port for Prothean ships. A large and open plaza like area took up most of the space, space that the Colonists restructured with pre-fabs and machinery as they saw fit, a smaller walled area to the side that contained stairs to the lower levels, and an elevator shaft once defunct, but housing one installed by the colonists to go down to the bridge that leads to ExoGeni. At the opposite end, was a hangar, big enough for the Normandy, sticking out of the side.

The colony was intact. Not without its damage, but there were clear signs of life. Movement was detected. I suspect their long-range transmitters must have been destroyed in the initial attack. Keep them from sending out a distress. Even though the comm buoys in this system had already been destroyed.

"If the hangar is empty, dock. Have some of our marines look and see if we can't bring the Mako down to garage by the bridge," I ordered.

"On it, sir," Joker confirmed. With that, I quickly called for the ground team to join me at the airlock. And while waiting, I put on my helmet. Joker confirmed the dock moments later, and a minute after that, the crew arrived together. Still really need to work on that elevator. Together, we stepped into the airlock. The sequence was right close to instantaneous, given Feros didn't need any terraforming for Human life, and the air pressure is barely any different. Coming back in might be a bit longer, but only because of the dust. Most stays below the clouds at least. When the door out opened, there was a human man, holding an avenger, and looking rather nervous. Least he already figured we were here to help, and he saw fit not to point his gun at whatever stepped out of my ship. He had dark skin and wore no armor. Just the rough clothes of an outer colonist on the frontier.

"We saw your ship circle the colony. Fai Dan wants to speak with you right away," he began, managing not to stutter through the stress.

"Your leader?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's our leader. The Geth are making another push and we need help. We've barely been holding them back."

"Then let's move. Double time, people!" We started to run, being led by the colonist towards the hangar's exit. We turned a corner, and a burst of Geth fire struck him in the chest. A round to the heart killed him then and there, and no shields or armor to protect him. "Damnit," I cursed under my breath. I was forced to take cover, not able to see who else in the process, but I did hear the returning fire.

When I was able to look back out, two Geth remai-make that one. A shotgun blast from Tali took that one down. So I aimed my rifle out and to the final Geth, and a burst from my rifle shattered its flashlight head, the lights dimming. We pushed forward, making our way to a staircase to the colony proper. A white form dashed through the air overhead, and my eyes followed, locking onto a Geth hopper. Luckily, it stayed still on the wall just long enough, chittering, for me to get a burst off and send it to the ground.

"Hate those things," I muttered, leading the others up the stairs, quickly, yet watching our corners. We only climbed a single flight before a route higher was blocked by rubble. Fortunately, the sight of an open sky above told us that we didn't need to go any higher. We ventured down an adjacent hallway and found ourselves outside in the main colony. There was a small fortification set up. Barricades on the sides, with some colonists aiming weapons both along the sides and middle

"Fai Dan's at the other end of the Colony!" a woman called out, pointing towards the other side. I nodded, and lead the others where indicated, cutting through a prefab to shorten the journey. It was the largest prefab in the colony. Looked to be where they were keeping all non-combatants. We passed an overcrowded med-bay, catching a glance of an overworked doctor. Might have Chakwas come and help her out. There was also a very pregnant woman keeping other young children safe and inside the pre-fab, being helped by a pair of teenagers. The children stared curiously at my squad as we walked by.

Particularly the non-humans.

Everyone looked stressed, tired, and terrified. We came out the other side of the pre-fab and by a remaining Prothean wall, stood a man and woman. The man was dressed like most other Colonists, while the woman was armored. If lightly. Both had a darker skin tone, while the man had a nearly shaved head, while the woman's was short to a point I'd normally describe as boyish. The man noticed us almost immediately.

"Thank god they sent someone to help us. We were afraid we'd all be dead by the time help arrived."

"We sent that distress about a day ago. Bit late, aren't you?" the woman sneered. The man turned and glared at her.

"Arcelia! Sorry, sir. Everyone's been on edge since-"

"Geth!" Tali shouted, firing a blast off from her shotgun. They were coming out of a door that should be by the stairs and elevator down to the garage. We quickly joined the Quarian in putting them down, Arcelia joining us.

We took cover behind concrete, rubble, and crates. And we kept shooting. The Geth just couldn't push. But as one fell, two took its place. So, we kept shooting. Kaidan and Tali started using their tech abilities. Either weakening them or turning them against each other.

"Commander, scanners show a Geth dropship over a corner of the Colony. It's dropping Geth like shit after some bad Mexican food," Joker informed.

"Ew," Tali muttered.

"The hell is he talking about?" Garrus exclaimed.

"Don't mind him. Joker, get out of dock, shoot the dropship down!" I ordered.

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Hold them here! They do not pass through that door!" I shouted. Honestly, it's a damn good thing that door was as narrow as it was. It made the Geth only able to attempt a pass two at a time, and prevented any behind from giving covering fire. While we could remain relatively spread out, and with multiple angles on the door. They simply couldn't get through. Slowly, the Normandy then flew overhead and a pair of mass accelerator rounds on its underbelly fired, shooting down the unseen dropship.

"Target down, Commander. Return to dock?"

"Check for any more dropships. Keep them away. Once this assault is pushed back, I'll want you to drop off Chakwas to help the wounded, and we'll still need to see about the Mako."

"Can do. I'll keep the skies clear." The Geth stopped pushing.

"I assume you're Fai Dan?" I called out to the man who had remained in cover near Arcelia, unable to help the fight. He nodded.

"Stay safe. We'll go make sure it's clear, then I'll need a sitrep," I called out.

"Understood!" he responded.

"Good! Williams, Alenko, stay here, make sure no Geth sneak out behind us."

"Wilco Commander," Alenko answered. I led the rest of the squad inside. First was a staircase upwards, and a trio of Geth waiting at the top. Two in cover, one Geth destroyer out of cover. But we were ready.

Tali had an overload primed and its shields went down right away, just in time for a shotgun blast from Wrex to tear it apart as some Geth fire dropped my shields. Liara picked one up with her biotics, and slammed it into the other, neutralizing both. Further in, up another staircase into what seemed like a storage room, were, of course, more Geth. Fortunately, no larger units, and slowly, steadily, we cut them down. And we were clear. We returned back outside to the others. Ashley and Kaidan both waiting with Arcelia and Fai Dan.

"I take it the tower's secure?" Fai Dan asked.

"The tower and skies are both clear. And I'm happy to see the Colony still standing."

"Your concern is appreciated. Not to mention your efforts against the Geth," Fai smiled.

"They may have been slowed, but they'll be back. They always come back," Arcelia grumbled.

"That's what we're here for. Just the other day an Alliance probe was shot down in a neighboring system. My team and I investigated, Geth tried to stop us, transmitted the data back, and the Alliance tried to hail you. When you didn't respond, that's when we were on our way. I'm not sure when you sent the distress you mentioned, but the comm buoys in this system were destroyed. We wouldn't have gotten it until it was far too late. At least now, there's a detachment from the Fifth Fleet inbound to eliminate the Geth blockade. Unfortunately, they won't be here for close to another day. Further, my team and I still have a mission to find out what the Geth are after. That will likely take us towards the ExoGeni HQ. Fortunately, we could search for survivors while there, and given the fact that a Geth cruiser is making itself so vulnerable, latching onto the tower… we might just be able to take it out at the same time. But in the meantime, I'll need that sitrep of the Colony," I explained.

"Well… aren't we just lucky you were nearby…" Fai Dan murmured. Then he straightened himself out. "I'm afraid that we have no idea what it is the Geth could be after, but I suppose ExoGeni would be a good place to start learning. As for the Colony, first and foremost we're aware of a Geth presence in the tunnels in the lower levels of the structure. The areas we use for maintenance. For some reason, they don't leave, but shoot at anyone who starts getting curious."

"Perhaps they're guarding a transmitter. One that links them to the rest of their network at their base and the ships in orbit. If we take it down, then I believe it should both delay further Geth assault and make those further from their ships have a weaker connection. And thus, decrease their intelligence," Tali suggested.

"I'm not sure I understood most of that, but I picked out that it should slow them down and make them dumber. That works for me," Fai Dan remarked. "Beyond that, we also have more mundane problems. Food, water, power. We have water valves that have been shut off in the same tunnels as the Geth. Simply reopen them, and we'll have access to our supply of water again. Food, I'm aware of a pack of Varren lurking around somewhere in the lower levels, and we're out of power cells."

"We'll deal with the transmitter, get the valves on along the way. I'm happy enough to spare rations from my ship for food, and unfortunately, I saw your generator on the way in. Older model won't be compatible with ours. We could probably charge your power cells, but that'll take a while. Don't suppose you have a lead on any spares?"

"We do. When the Geth attacked, we had a transport trying to deal with the Varren. They had to bail and run when the attack began. Transport should still have a power cell. And as for the Varren, Davin Reynolds, our hunter, tells me that the Varren have this Alpha. One that's more feral and savage than usual. He says he can't hunt while it's around.

"I can deal with some Varren. You lend me Alenko to see on the power cell, we can take care of that while you finish off the Geth," Wrex suggested.

"Handled a few Varren before, eh, old man?" Ashley remarked.

"Since you can't walk ten steps on Tuchanka without being waist deep in the fuckers? Yeah, I've handled a few."

"Joker," I opened my comm. "Land in dock, send Chakwas to go help the colony's medic." I then turned to Fai Dan, keeping the link live. "We have a ground vehicle we'll need to use to get across the bridges later. Any chance you can bring it to the garage via the hangar?"

"I'll send someone to help bring it there at once," Fai Dan confirmed.

"Hear that Joker?"

"Yeah I heard him. Coming into dock now."

"Good man," I ended the comm. "Now, I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet," I remarked, taking off my helmet and hooking it under my left arm. I reached my right out for a shake.

"Commander John Shepard, Council Spectre."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We spent a couple of hours helping the Colony. Our rations had been shared, their water was online and clean, they had power, their Varren problem was taken care of for after this is all over, and the Geth transmitter was taken down. Curiously, while Geth made up most of the defense, there were three Krogan guarding it. None of which bore any mercenary markings. Chakwas was also helping the Colony's medic, though, unfortunately, it seemed that the more severe injuries had been suffered during the first attack, meaning those victims had already died of wounds that the medic simply didn't have the means to treat, or were simply unable to be brought to her in time. That left mostly colonists suffering from grazing flesh wounds or shots to something non-vital, which the Medic was able to treat, she just was trying to be in a dozen places at once. So, Chakwas was simply easing some of her workload.

But there was something else in the tunnels beneath the colony. A survivor. We tried to talk to him, but he kept trying to tell us about… something, by the sounds of it, what the Geth were after. But every time he was about to tell us what exactly it was, he screamed in pain. "Pulling the master's chain," he called it. Said he'd prefer to go down fighting. We left him there, and I sent a message to Chakwas to be careful. To have an excuse to get back to the ship ready, that something wasn't right. I wouldn't believe for a second that the Colonists are on Saren's side here. That they're working for the Geth. But we've already dealt with people fighting against some kind of mind control, like Benezia. I'm not taking chances here. Once we were confident that the Colony should be able to handle itself without us for a small while, we prepared to make our way to ExoGeni. We got eyes on the bridge before heading down to the Mako. Geth Armatures mostly, making periodic "checkpoints." Along the bridge. If there's anything larger, they're not in our line of sight.

Joker and the Normandy were watching scanners, looking for any signs of Geth dropships starting to make their way towards the colony. At the first sign of trouble, which I would suspect to be after we leave, the Normandy will exit dock and take down the dropship. Internally, I debated having marines leave the ship for the Colony, but if things do go haywire, like I suspect thanks to the colonist in the tunnels, I want as few people as possible needing a way back to the ship. Down at the garage, another pair of colonists were standing guard, ready to open the doors outside once we were in the Mako. And then lock them down again. Fortunately, we were given access codes, and could come and go at will. We got in, drove to the door, and it opened. A pair of armatures were waiting a few dozen yards out, amongst more destroyed vehicles. Garrus was ready, and an explosive shot destroyed one as I swerved the Mako up to the bridge's upper level, one for oncoming traffic it seemed, avoiding fire from the other, and Garrus took it down.

"The last batch went south. What are they looking for?" I heard a woman's voice ask. Seems we picked up some comm chatter.

"Alenko, try to find the source of that chatter," I ordered.

"On it, Commander. It's a bit weak right now but I'll keep on it." Largely, the bridge supports, and the bridge itself were intact. But up ahead, above us, was an exception. A part of the bridge had collapsed, but miraculously, onto our section, creating a ramp up to the higher bridge. The one we needed to reach ExoGeni.

"Any sign of movement? Lizbeth could still be in there. It's only been a day," the same woman questioned. Good, another group of survivors. As soon as we made it up the "ramp," and spotting more armatures, this time supported by Geth troops, carrying heavy weapons, the chatter continued. Garrus got to work.

"She's my daughter! I'll wait as long as I have to!" the woman continued.

"Ah, the ol' mother bear," I chuckled. "I bet a hundred creds that if you were to put Wrex between her and her daughter, Wrex would shit himself in fear." Everyone but Wrex and Garrus laughed in response.

"The hell makes you say that, Shepard? A small fleshy woman wouldn't do much good against a Krogan," Wrex retorted.

"Because if I took your place I sure as hell would," I admitted. "Not all human mothers have it, and some among those who do just have it far, far stronger than the others. But they're the ones who will fight tooth and nail through hell and back as many times as it takes to keep their kid safe. It can honestly be a bit terrifying just watching."

"I get the feeling Momma Shepard is one such mother?" Ashley likely smirked.

"No, she's not a momma bear, she's a motherfucking momma lion," I laughed.

"Whatever you say, Shepard," Wrex muttered in his usual tone. Garrus wrapped up with the Geth, and we pushed on. Through a gap in a wall there once would have been a door, the door, reduced to scrap metal to the side. We were inside another one of the skyscrapers and it too was not without its rubble. Seems the Geth either cleared the road, or it was clear to begin with, as we still had a path to drive through.

"We got movement! It's some kind of vehicle… definitely not Geth… It's Alliance!" the mystery woman exclaimed. Must have had cameras or something.

"This is Commander John Shepard. Council Spectre. We heard your comm signals on our way across the bridge. We know you see us, where are you?" I questioned, adding my voice to their frequency.

"Oh thank god," the woman murmured. "We're just a bit ahead. Drive to the base of the ramp to the upper level. You'll see the entrance to our little hideout." I did as instructed, and found the entrance easily. It helped that there was a light post by the way down, lighting it up.

"Garrus, Tali, you too stay. Keep an eye out, keep it warmed up," I ordered. Tali nodded, and the others disembarked with me. "We're coming down," I warned the woman. It was a small, fortified area they had managed to set up. And plenty of security personnel watching the entrance behind barricades. Both portable and makeshift. The security seemed to slump their shoulders, lowering their weapons upon seeing us. Tired, relieved.

"That's close enough! A man, Asian, called out, stepping a yard or so behind the security. He wore a suit and tie, dressier black pants, all covered with dirt and dust. This man was likely a surviving executive. And I have little doubt I'm quickly going to run out of patience.

"Relax, Jeong," the woman we heard on the radio, crossed her arms, visibly rolling her eyes, taking a spot beside him. She wore a lab-coat like that of a scientist, a researcher, and had short dark hair. "They're obviously not Geth." I could see other civilians further back. They were either dressed like the woman, like a scientist, or dressed in a more casual formal than this Jeong. Like that of a cubicle worker.

"Get back, Juliana," Jeong glared at both us, and her. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I already told Juliana who we are. And given the current situation, I'd think that what we want is the last of your concern. Even though who we are should make that obvious. So, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and chalk up your rude welcome as a result of high stress," I stated firmly, staring him back down. I had left my helmet off when coming out, as I had suspected it would help ease them. Now, it should help make this entitled ass-hat stand down. "My name is Commander John Shepard. Council Spectre. The Alliance got word of a Geth presence in the system, and I was already close-by. They sent me to primarily, help survivors and keep them alive until a fleet detachment arrives to drive out the Geth in orbit. Second, and just as important, to find out what the Geth are after."

"Well… they're probably just here to kill us! O-or to get territory. They're machines that hate people, right?" Jeong responded, and I think, starting to sweat, just a little. He knows something.

"Not likely. All but one or two times we've encountered them, they've been after something specific. And they have a particular interest in anything to do with the Protheans," I retorted.

"You see Jeong? You worry too much," Juliana remarked. Doubt she knows whatever Jeong knows then.

"And you trust too easily," he murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" I raised a brow.

"Er… nothing." Juliana smirked as Jeong squirmed.

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face. I was starting to think we were the only Humans left on this rock."

"Fai Dan is leading a large number of colonists at Zhu's Hope. They're still alive, and we spent some time their helping secure the area. Though I'd suggest remaining here for the time being. Would be too dangerous for you to cross the bridge behind us," I explained.

"I thought you said they were all dead, Jeong!" Juliana accused.

"Probably! I said probably!" he defended. Hm, the tone is telling. If he said that with some shock, then it could imply his thought was just defeatism. But saying it in a way where the primary effort is just to defend himself, it implies that he really couldn't give two shits about them. That they're just tools to him.

"The Geth certainly tried. A lot died, but they're holding on," Kaidan added.

"Damn synthetics are relentless," Juliana murmured.

"I promise to do what I can to keep them off you. That being said, you all have a decent set up to keep them at bay. I need to know if anyone here has any idea what it is the Geth could be after," I spoke loudly so everyone would hear me. No one gave a suggestion.

"Then we'll be heading back out."

"The Headquarters are private property, soldier. Remove the Geth and nothing else," Jeong tried to give me orders, even standing straighter with his hands behind his back. It doesn't help him that I have about a foot on him.

"I answer to the Council, Jeong. Don't presume to give me orders. My mission is a matter of galactic security. I am not here for company secrets, but I will follow the trail wherever it leads me. If you attempt to push the matter, I will be forced to have you arrested for obstruction a Spectre's investigation. Do I make myself clear?" I stepped forward and peered down at the little man. He seemed to shrink under my gaze.

"Commander, before you go…" Juliana began to trail off. "My daughter. Lizbeth Baynham. She's missing." As I looked at Juliana while she spoke, Jeong had stepped back a bit. And that made him gain more false confidence.

"They shouldn't waste time poking around. She's probably dead any-"

Juliana slapped him. Before I got the chance.

"That's my daughter you're talking about! She's still alive, I know it."

"All I can promise you is that we'll look for her," I warned.

"That's all I can ask, Commander. Thank you." I nodded, and another man approached. Light skin, short blonde hair.

"Commander, Gavin Hossle. I'm a freelancer, and my terminal in ExoGeni has information crucial to my work beyond my time here at ExoGeni. It's worth a lot of money, and that's what I'm willing to pay if you happen to find it while you're in there. Got an OSD waiting and ready for the data on it."

"I'll look, but I'm afraid your data won't be much of a priority," I cautioned.

"Of course, just hoping I'll get lucky and it will be along your path," Hossle raised his hands up, reassuring. I nodded and led the others back to the Mako. We got in and continued our route.

"I'm not sure, but Jeong appeared to be hiding something, Commander," Liara pointed out, sounding not quite convinced.

"You'd be right, Liara. He certainly was hiding something. Don't know exactly what yet, but it's something." Seems Liara is learning. We returned outside at the bridge towards ExoGeni HQ. An Armature and some Geth troops tried to stop us, but a single shot from Garrus put an end to their threat.

"You owe us for this. The skyway is crawling with Geth," a voice grumbled on the comms. Hm, we're picking up more? Survivors? "Package is secured. We're leaving now. Pleasure doing business with ya." These weren't survivors.

"Wait, shut down the comm! We've got incoming Geth! Damn it, shut down the comm!" another man exclaimed. We looked up to see a shuttle, Human design, but featureless, fly away. And Geth troops moving into one of the small personnel tunnels along the bridge. A walkway across instead of the road.

"Have fun with that," a voice I would assume to be from the shuttle chuckled grimly.

"You bastards! Help us! Help- No! No-no-no!" We heard Geth fire, and the man cry out in pain, dead.

"The hell was going on there…" I murmured. I parked the Mako along the entrance to the walkway I saw the Geth enter, and ordered Tali and Garrus to remain. The others disembarked with me and we quickly neutralized the Geth. There were three human corpses inside, and each was an ExoGeni employee. What were they doing out here? What were they giving away? We found a briefcase filled to the brim with credits, but no clue as to who that shuttle belonged to, or what they purchased. Well, the creds are ours now. We were coming up to the HQ now, and we could also see the Cruiser attached to the side of the building. Its bow was facing upwards, like it was truly a bug clinging to the side of a massive metal tree. We also met their last line of their perimeter defenses. Two armatures, and two juggernauts. We pulled back, giving us distance for their regular rounds to simply either miss or do too little, and to make evading the slower, heavier shots easier. Good thing a mass accelerated explosive shell moves much faster than those slower energy shots. Somehow. All the Geth were turned to scrap, and we entered the HQ. Curiously, it seems to have taken the least amount of structural damage.

The entrance room was defended by several Geth hoppers and Geth troops. Including a destroyer, but that was the strongest they had. Garrus tore them all to shreds. The Geth hoppers may be fast, but it's a bit hard to dodge dozens of bullets flying in your general direction every half second. The area was clear, but unfortunately, we'd need to leave the Mako behind. It wouldn't fit through the rubble.

We went up to what remained of the ExoGeni entrance way. Reduced to rubble and scorch marks. The only routes remaining were a small drop down into the next lower level but one too high to climb out of, and a route blocked by a barrier of some sort. One according to Tali, we wouldn't be able to breach conventionally. So, we went down. Through the collapsed tunnel into a larger, empty room. Perhaps it was storage once, or just unused space. There was a Varren corpse, still bleeding, on the ground. Just as I bent down to see what killed it, Geth or human, I heard a gunshot. The bullet missed, going through the gap between Garrus and I, who was to my side.

"Damn it!" a woman exclaimed. My eyes shot up with my pistol ready. It was a young woman, brown hair that went down to her neck, and dressed like another of the scientists. She cautiously lowered her weapon, and slowly began to creep forward.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" her arms began shaking. "I thought you were Geth. Or Varren…" I holstered my pistol.

"It's alright Ma'am. We're here to help. Why didn't you flee with the others?"

"I stayed to backup data. I thought I'd have more time. Next thing I knew, the Geth ship latched on and we lost power. Had no way out."

"We can get you out of here. Don't worry. First, we need to find out what the Geth are after, however."

"Damn it… They must be here for the-" she stopped herself. She was nervous. Conflicted.

"Ma'am… I need to know what the Geth are after. A lot of lives are at stake. More than just the lives on Feros," I urged. She looked down, and back up.

"I can't say for certain, but it's probably the Thorian." I heard the whispers in my head again. They kept repeating that name. Thorian. It had to be it.

"What is this Thorian? Is it a Prothean relic?" Liara questioned, curiously.

"It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was studying it."

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Do you know where it is?" I asked.

"I… I might be able to help you, but not with these Geth everywhere. We need to get out of here. Past their energy barrier."

"Tali, any ideas on how to shut it down?"

"There will either be a console we can access, or it's simply being powered from the Geth ship. The latter is far more likely, unfortunately."

"I have noticed the Geth laying power cables everywhere," the woman pointed out.

"Then we'll follow the cables. Can I get your name?"

"Lizbeth. Lizbeth Baynham."

"Lizbeth? Good, your mother's still alive. Hiding out with some other ExoGeni personnel. She's safe for now," I revealed, smiling under my helmet. She released a deep breath, a smile of her own forming.

"Oh, thank god… I thought I was the only one left… Please, get that field down so I can see her again."

"Follow a room behind us. We'll signal you when clear."

"Oh! One last thing, Commander. Here," she handed me a card. "Take my ID. This should get you past any locked doors."

"Thank you, Ms. Baynham. This will all be over soon."


	25. Mind Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So apparently last chapter, when I replaced the no chapter alert one didn't send out a nofication email or anything. But! Last chapter is indeed up, so, go ahead and read that! Also bit of news for you, I am now officially done with High School! Hell yeah! I'll be out for this weekend but I already have monday's chapter ready, and I'll also have plenty more time for writing!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Stupid machine!" A Krogan growled. Somewhere above us. "Access encrypted files!" The voice was coming from what should be the next level. And fortunately, we have a still intact staircase. Slowly, carefully, we did our damndest to not make a sound as we climbed up the stairs. "No, I don't want to review protocol!" Seems he's having some technical issues. His back was to us, and he was facing a VI display at the end of a hallway.

"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor," the VI requested.

"Damn it!" The Krogan roared. "Tell me what I want, or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" We continued creeping closer. Wrex took the lead. Slowly taking out his large knife.

"Please contact your supervisor for a level Four security exemption or make an appointment with-" the VI calmly continued. You can't threaten programming.

"Stupid machine!" The Krogan slammed his fist through the hologram, his fist just impacting the wall on the other side. There were cracks left in the ancient stone.

"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console." Ah shit, gave us away. The Krogan stood straighter and turned only for Wrex's knife to bury itself deep within his eye. The Krogan cried out in pain and Wrex withdrew the knife only to shove it, and his fist, into his mouth at an angle which sent the blade into the Krogan's brain. Wrex removed the knife again, and the body slumped to the floor. Orange blood leaking out of his mouth and his missing eye. Wrex kicked the body to the side, and I stepped up to the VI.

"Welcome back Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?" The VI questioned. For a split second, I raised a brow, wondering why the VI had identified me as her, but then I remembered the ID she gave me. So, I played along.

"What information was the last user attempting to access?" I spoke plainly and clearly, choosing my words to be perfect for a VI.

"Fetching data… The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species Thirty-Seven. The Thorian." So, that is what they're after.

"What information was given to the previous user?"

"None. I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from lacking proper security clearance, there has been no new data available on Species Thirty-Seven. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles."

"At Zhu's hope? Shit," Kaidan murmured.

"Where is the Thorian located?" I continued. We need information fast.

"Species Thirty-Seven is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost."

"I want to know everything I can about the Thorian. Start with a verbal overview, then transfer all relevant files to my Omni-tool."

"User alert: The transfer of requested files will be slowed due to a primary request. Providing verbal answer to primary request. The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can infect and control other organisms, including humans. The Zhu's Hope group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost eighty-five-percent of all test subjects were infected."

"Goddamnit!" I exclaimed. Fucking bastards. I got onto the comms. "Chakwas, get back to the ship immediately! There's a mind controlling bio-hazard present. It takes time to set in, but you should be fine. Quarantine yourself and check for spore like contaminates. I promise we'll help the Colonists, but I want you in the clear, understood?"

"Understood, Commander." she responded. I took a breath, at least she should be safe now. Shit, I know I took my helmet off earlier, but…

"How long must one be exposed to be infected?" I questioned.

"Prolonged exposure of approximately three and a half days is the minimum recorded time required for infection. Less time prohibits the Thorian from exerting control and allows the body to still eliminate the foreign spores." Ok, that's good at least. I got back onto the comms.

"Joker, Chakwas is returning to the ship. Once she's on board, get out of dock, circle the general area. Hunt dropships if you're bored."

"Uh, sure, but is something wrong, sir?" Joker asked, confused.

"Explain later. Just do it."

"Aye, aye."

"Ready to get a move on, Skipper?" Ashley questioned.

"Not just yet. All of this was in Lizbeth's clearance. She didn't tell us everything but seemed like she wanted to. VI, please access 'my' personal files."

"Elizabeth Baynham. Research assistant, biomedical division. Security level four exemption. You are currently under probation due to disagreements with management over established company policy. These sanctions may be lifted if your next evaluation is more agreeable." Hm, not direct enough.

"What triggered the probation?"

"You were marked as 'combative' about the operations of the Zhu's Hope project. Specifically, regarding the handling of the infected colonists. As a result, you were marked with monitoring the safety of the colonists for the duration of the observation." I relaxed slightly. By the sounds of the report she didn't like what was going on and her bosses didn't care. Put her in control of their safety to keep her quiet. Still, she's clearly troubled. I don't fully approve, I would like to think that if I was in her position, I'd have spread this shit like a wildfire, but there might be more details to her silence I don't know.

"Log off." I ordered the VI. "So, Lizbeth's clear in my eyes, as it stands. Leave later questions to me, alright? Alright. Let's move." I led the others through the surprisingly intact hallway, avoiding less intact hallways that it branched off to. We found ourselves above a pair of Geth standing guard by cables and a claw dug into the wall. Together, Wrex and I jumped down first. Wrex onto a Geth, crushing the robot under his massive weight, while I brought the butt of my rifle down onto the other's head, the force staggering the bot down, almost knocking it to the floor, but a burst from my rifle put it down. The others joined us.

"Shepard, these must be the claws holding the ship to the building. A moment…" Tali requested. She opened her Omni-tool and scanned the hunk of metal and wire. "Comparing the schematics, we have on Geth cruisers, a scan I took of this one before we entered the building, and the scan of this claw, and taking into account the amount of power being drawn into this building, meaning the drive core isn't producing a mass effect field… yes," she finished typing into her Omni-tool as results popped up. "Just as I hoped. The sudden removal of just one anchor, will cause the whole ship to fall."

"Our guns aren't going to do the trick," Wrex grumbled. "That metal is thick. Could do it with a plasma cutter, but that would take hours. Even if we took a rocket launcher from a Geth we wouldn't do it. Few shots with the Mako, maybe. But I don't see us getting that down here."

"Hm…" I murmured, thinking. "Suppose we could rig a makeshift bomb with explosive shells from the Mako, but first we need to take down that barrier. Get Lizbeth out of here. Maybe we'll find something along the way." I signaled Lizbeth to move up, and we continued.

After stumbling upon, and clearing out, a squad of Geth in a larger room, we realized they were defending the very barrier we needed offline. But there was nothing on this side to open it for us. And no hint as to which way we needed to go. We tried right first, being led up a staircase, and, by some stroke of luck for Hossle, found his crumbling office, and intact terminal, at a dead end. I filled up the OSD, and we tried the other route. Left of the barrier. This stairwell went both up and down, but the staircase down had collapsed, and there was nothing but more rubble down there. So, we went up. Through a narrow hallway, we found ourselves in a large, open, almost hangar like room. Filled with Geth. One large claw was clinging to the building through opened metal bay doors closer to the ceiling than the floor. And the Geth had set up shop well. Wires and machinery and even metal cover.

Unfortunately, we were pinned down. Only one of us could take cover and shoot at any Geth waiting, as we were, after all, in the room's entrance. There was more cover we could use, but that would leave us open to Geth fire. And if I tried to lean out and provide covering fire, well, I'd be shot up like melted swiss fucking cheese immediately.

"Kaidan, Liara, make a barrier. Protect the others while they get into cover!" I ordered. The two didn't respond verbally, just instead, glowing blue. "Wrex!" The Krogan charged out, using a blast from his shotgun to take down one Geth while he got down. "Garrus!" the Turian ran, but tossed a grenade as he did so. The explosion took out a trio of Geth, and blew a chunk out of another's cover. And that allowed me to get a cheeky little shot off taking it down. "Williams!" She ran, firing as she did so. "Tali, you hack. Kaidan, Liara, just keep us protected a little longer." Tali then began rapidly typing at her Omni-tool as I could finally lean out of cover, and really open fire with the others. Their hold was weakening, and as our full focus shifted from our protection, to Geth destruction, it weakened exponentially. Geth were shot up, blown up, shredded, or even shot at by a hacked Geth. The Geth fell.

"Careful, Shepard. There's still a few units on the other side of the wall," Tali warned, indicating the wall separating this half of the room from the other.

"Then we move carefully." There was a staircase that led up and around. And as I approached, I noticed that under the staircase were terminals, servers, and other hardware. Mostly intact.

"Kaidan, pull what you can from that terminal. Wonder if there was a reason it was left intact," I ordered.

"Wilco, Commander."

"Rest of you, with me." Only a handful of Geth remained. Including one destroyer. Given we had an elevated position, they fell easily.

"Commander!" Kaidan called out. Not out of alarm, telling us there was no danger. But he had something.

"Report."

"You're going to want to read this yourself…" Shit… I joined him back at the terminal. "I pulled this file. Draft for a message. Confidential. Don't know who it was intended for." I glanced back, seeing that the crew, aside from Wrex, had gathered to read it as well.

 _The test samples were due to arrive three days ago, but we haven't heard anything from the colony or the cargo vessel. We suspect the samples became volatile and recommend cutting off all further contact with the Nodacrux colony. Even if the colony is discovered, no one should be able to trace the events there back to us._

"What the fuck have they done…" I murmured. "The Council is going to hear of this. So will the Alliance. We're going to fucking rain hell down on these bastards. Look around! If you see intact computer systems, get in! I want to know what the fuck they sent to Nodacrux. I want to know who the fuck they're working with." I ordered quietly, but with rising anger. I led the others to investigate what the last few Geth in here were defending.

"A server node. I'll get in," Tali called out, walking to a terminal on the left.

"There's a note on that one. Looks like door controls," Ashley pointed out. Curiously, I went to read it. A repair ticket.

"So, if I fiddle with the controls a bit, get its PSI just right, it should be able to cut through the claw. Just a moment…" I tested the buttons first to get them right, make sure they worked as expected, let alone work at all. I turned to look at the door and claw and pressed the button. I saw an open space quickly be filled with a piece of metal launched with such force that it simply cut right through the Geth metal. Loudly, metal screeched and groaned as the ship struggled to retain its grip. I could hear what was probably more of the tower collapsing, but the building wasn't quite shaking, so we should be alright. And then it stopped.

"Joker, that ship still on the side of the building?" I asked our pilot.

"Hold on… nope. That thing is now plummeting to the surface. And there it is. In a few thousand different pieces now. Good work, sir," Joker chuckled.

"Tali, get through that node?"

"I did. And you won't like this one any more than the last…" I clenched my fist, calming myself, and moved to read what she had found.

 _Private log of Dr. Gamorle: I don't trust this Cerberus group. They may pay us well, but if this gets out before we've developed an antidote… it's just not smart. They won't tell us what they want the samples for or why they wanted them delivered to the Matano system. My records show nothing of interest out there._

My restraint was cracking.

"Fucking. Cerberus. So, they're involved in this too. Add that to the fucking list. Once we're done here, not a second after. Nodacrux, and the Matano system. Back to back. We're putting an end to this shit." I stormed away. The others following. We returned to the barrier, which was now offline, and Lizbeth was waiting.

"There you are!" she gave a sigh of relief.

"Cerberus. That name mean anything to you?" I demanded.

"Cerberus? As in the Greek Myth?"

"I hope you're not feigning ignorance here, Baynham. The VI told me about the Thorian. How you knew more than you told me. I know you disagreed with your superiors about it. Did you neglect to tell me about Cerberus as well?"

"Wha-Oh…" She sighed. "I honestly have no idea what this Cerberus is. As for the Thorian, I was afraid. They told me I'd be next if I continued to protest. That my mother would be next." I stopped, closed my eyes, and breathed. All because I felt a three fingered hand gently rest itself upon my shoulder. Silently, wordlessly, that hand requested that I calm down. And so, I did. I quickly nodded thanks to Tali. "When I stayed behind it was to send a message to Colonial Affairs. But the power went out before it was sent."

"I believe you, Lizbeth. And it all ends today. Now, how do I find the Thorian? I know it's under Zhu's Hope, but there's a lot of skyscraper beneath to search."

"The entrance is blocked, but it's quick access from the colony itself. Before the attack began, there was cargo blocking a staircase down a few levels."

"Commander, reading Geth dropships making their way towards you. I'll take out what I can, but don't be surprised if a few slip by," Joker warned.

"Read you loud and clear. We're moving out now," I responded. "Come on, Lizbeth. You'll be safe in the Mako."

"Maybe if we put someone else behind the wheel," Ashley joked.

"Hey, don't blame that shit on me," I chuckled. "Or on the Mako for that matter. Half the time we're driving that thing up or down an eighty-degree incline! The Mako handles that better than just about any other vehicle would."

"I've still never been in a vehicle where I've gotten the urge to vomit, until the Mako," Garrus remarked.

"Yeah? Tell ya what, sometime, we'll find a planet with the kind of shit terrain we normally deal with, and you can give it a go. You'll find out it's not so fucking easy," I offered. Lizbeth just remained quiet, a bit confused perhaps, as we moved towards the Mako, and began climbing in. Should be able to just drop her back off with her mother along the way. And I can beat the shit out of Jeong. The resistance along the bridge back was light, thanks to the Normandy taking out most of the dropships. An armature or a Juggernaut here and there. Nothing to slow us down. Just as we entered the middle tower, the one that the ExoGeni employees were hiding in, we picked up radio chatter.

"Is there anyone picking this up?" Juliana questioned.

"That's my mother!" Lizbeth explained. Just as I was about to respond, I heard Jeong.

"Get away from that radio!"

"This is Juliana Baynham of Feros colony. Please help us!" We got to the end of the ramp down, and I stopped, beside the entrance.

"She's in trouble! Stop! Stop the tank!" Lizbeth demanded.

"Relax, we were dropping you off anyway," I reassured. "Seems that Jeong's being a bastard again. And I have words for him. Just take a deep breath, and follow behind us. Kaidan, Liara, if he's doing anything aggressive, I want you to use biotics and keep him from being a threat. Got it?"

"Got it," they both responded.

"Good." We left the Mako, Lizbeth clearly struggling to not just run right in. Slowly, as we were coming to the corner at the bottom of the ramp, we slowed, and lowered ourselves. The guards were distracted, their backs to the entrance like idiots, while Jeong was having a fit.

"You can't do this, Jeong!" Juliana exclaimed. He put his hands to both sides of his head, covering his ears as he shook.

"Everyone shut up! Let me think!"

"You won't get away with this," Juliana glared. No, he won't. But what does she know now?

"Get her out of here!" Jeong demanded. And cautiously, one of the ExoGeni security moved to grab her from behind. I gave the nod to my biotics, and they stepped out first, glowing blue as an aura formed around Jeong. Before anyone realized what was going out, I revealed myself.

" _Everyone, stop right fucking now!"_ I bellowed. Jeong's head turned, but then he was plucked into the air, unable to move. The security officer raised his hands and cautiously stepped back. "You!" I shouted at the entrance guards. "Get your goddamn eyes and rifles back on that entrance you idiots! If we could sneak up on you with a fucking Krogan, Geth would sure as hell be able to do the same!" I think the two of them just about pissed themselves as they struggled to get their rifles out and glued their eyes on the entrance. I had to go for the scare factor here.

"Mom!" Lizbeth cried out, and ran towards her mother.

"Lizbeth!" Juliana practically beamed, and the two embraced. I tossed the OSD towards Hossle, who was standing quite shocked in front of his make-shift desk. He just barely got his senses back in time to catch it. And I approached Jeong.

"Shepard. Knew it was too much to hope the Geth would kill you. I found some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni database," he chuckled nervously, feigning confidence, despite being entirely at our mercy. "Your heroics aren't needed here." I raised my left hand and gestured for the Biotics to lower him slightly. Now he and I were face-to-face. And I closed the gap further.

"I would choose your words very fucking carefully, Jeong. I know all about the Thorian. I also know that something was sent to a Colony on Nodacrux, and that the Colony has gone dark. I also know that you've had dealings with a little group known as Cerberus. And, well," I faked a laugh, faked a smile. "It just so happens, that Cerberus is responsible for a lot of deaths. In fact, most of the deaths we know about, are rather personal to me. So I've got just a liiiiitle grudge against them. And anyone who works with them. Oh, and word of advice…" I immediately dropped the smile and let the fire ignite in my eyes again. "Don't you fucking dare say a goddamn thing about company secrets." He began to sweat. And he gulped.

"L-L-Look," he stuttered. "Comms are back online. ExoGeni wants this place purged."

"Purged? This is a colony, not a warehouse or an office building!" Lizbeth exclaimed.

"It's not just you," he strained to turn his head back to Lizbeth. "There's something far more valuable than a few colonists." I slugged him right in the jaw. He cried out in pain.

"A few Colonists? These are human lives here you son of a bitch. Not to mention all the lives that have already been lost for it," I growled. "I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen. You are going to be cuffed, and probably gagged so you can finally shut your goddamn mouth. I am going back to Zhu's Hope, and then find out just what it is the Geth wanted with the Thorian. And if it forces my hand, kill it to free the Colonists. The Alliance Fleet is going to arrive, wipe out the Geth fleet, and then pick you up and take you away to spend the rest of your life behind bars. And the evidence I've found here today will reach the ears of the Council, and your corporation will collapse." he opened his mouth to speak, but I simply covered it with my hand. "Just keep it shut for fucks sake." I looked back at the others. "Now, we have a job to do."

"Wait, Commander, I have an idea," Lizbeth stopped us. "The Colonists won't let you near the Thorian. Not without dying. But I think I know of a work around. We have an insecticide with trace amounts of what's essentially a neurotoxin. If their nervous systems are already weakened, which they are because of the Thorian, then it should act like a temporary paralyzing agent. Safely, non-lethal. Like a gas grenade."

"Then I need every last piece of what you have."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We had taken the time to essentially modify the concussion grenades we had into an impromptu gas grenade. When it goes off, instead of an explosion of light and noise, it'll be of the gas, and it'll spread quickly. Now, we had reached the garage of Zhu's Hope. But the door wasn't opening. And to the side of the door, a strange, green/brown growth. Not moving. I took Williams and Wrex out of the Mako with me to investigate. And to open the door. With a shotgun out, I slowly approached the growth. And then it uncurled itself. It had a head, arms, legs, and claws. It was the same kind of thing we found in one of the Cerberus bases. I immediately pulled the trigger, and it popped like a zit into a mass of green goo. These weren't colonists. This was some other… growth. And even if it was a Colonist once, anyone with a basic understanding of biology would know that there was absolutely no way back. Because there shouldn't even have been a way there to start with. I opened the door. There were more of those things inside. All along the main level. One explosive round from Garrus made them all pop. But then gunfire rang.

"Kaidan! Drive the Mako ahead, let us use it as cover!" I ordered. Seconds later, the Mako moved, with Wrex, Ashley and I moving with it. There were the same two colonists guarding it before, as well as another two. Emotionless, numb. I threw a gas grenade, and it detonated. And they all collapsed. I ran a scan, and confirmed they were still alive. Just unconscious. We all took the elevator up.

"Remember, keep the Colonists alive at all costs! Only kill the weird zombie things," I ordered. We pushed through the stairwell towards the colony itself. Safely putting down Colonists and killing the plant things. The Teenagers fired at us, children fired at us, the pregnant woman fired at us. The medic fired at us. All of them, emotionless. Numb. The people we spent hours helping and talking with. Shooting at us. It was damn creepy. But it wasn't their fault. Damn am I glad we got Chakwas out of this. The biggest concentration was by the controls to the crane keeping the crates over the entrance to the lower levels. Arcelia was there, as well as half a dozen other colonists. The only ones I didn't see anywhere were the wounded. We put down the zombie things, and knocked out the Colonists. Not a single human, or non-human, casualty. The gun fire stopped.

"I didn't see Fai Dan anywhere. Keep grenades ready. Biotics, get ready to pacify anyone the very moment you see them. No one dies today. Not on my watch. I'll get the crane." The crew formed a circle and watched for anything. While I used the crane to move the crate, revealing the stairwell down.

"I… tried to-" Fai Dan limped around a corner. Only for a gas grenade to be thrown, and for him to safely collapse to the ground. Knocked out. He had a pistol in his hand. Well, good thing he won't get to use it today. Hm, seemed like he was managing to fight it. Though, his words implied that his effort was coming to a close. With no other immediate threats, we began our descent. Surprisingly, it didn't take nearly as long as one would expect. Just down a few flights, eight, and we heard a weird gurgling noise. Coming from down an adjacent hallway. At the end, some sort of… biomass. Moving. We got closer, and we saw… whatever the hell it is.

"What the actual fuck…" Kaidan murmured.

"By the Goddess…" Liara stared. It was like a massive… blob holding itself in the center of the room, which was just a circular pit with rooms surrounding towards the top, and likely, the bottom. It even nearly seemed to have a face. The mass had large tendrils sticking out that stuck to the walls and ceiling, then spread further through small cracks.

"I… I am at an actual loss for words here," I muttered. It began making noise. Like breathing, almost. The part that looked like a face, that had tentacles drooping from its bottom like some sort of Cthulhu monster was squeezing. And some kind of liquid was dripping out. Damn am I glad helmets filter out smell. The tentacles began to spread, revealing some monstrosity of a hole resembling a combination of a mouth and a vagina, and it leaked even more fluid. I swear it sounded like this… thing was huffing. The tentacles then closed, and out came… a naked Green Asari?

"Ok, I have words again. This is some really fucked up Japanese like shit that I really don't fucking need in my life," I gagged. Genuinely about to vomit.

"Keelah," Tali put a fist by her vocalizer and turned away, bending over slightly. "Ancestors that's disgusting."

"Well… I know what my nightmares are going to be about for the next… rest of my life," Garrus muttered.

"You know I've seen a lot of shit in my time. But this… well this is a fucking first," Wrex added.

"Commander, do I have permission to put a bullet in my own head?" Kaidan struggled to string any words together.

"If you say no, I think Alenko and I will mutiny and do it anyways," Ashley retched. The Asari approached. Still… glistening with that fluid. And just as emotionless as the colonists.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose," the Asari spoke.

"So, naked Green lady speaks for the Thorian. Go figure," I muttered. No idea how this crime against nature of an Asari was created, and frankly, I don't want to know.

"I speak for the old growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

"Ok, look, we probably would be in awe, but we just witnessed the singular most disgusting thing in our lives. So, pardon us for that," I coughed, trying to keep my lunch down. "Look, we're an enemy of Saren. And the Geth. You say you spoke to Saren. Seems he doesn't want anyone to hear what you told him. Well… us 'meat' have a saying. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. What did Saren want?"

"Saren wanted the knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened for flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

"Let the Colonists go, tell me what you told Saren. I'm sure it can be negotiated that the Colonists aid you of their own free will. I don't want to kill something so old and… historic, if I don't have to."

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but you have gone on too long. Your blood will feed the ground and the new growth." The Asari ended emotionlessly, before attempting to move close to… strangle? Either way, she was shot, and she fell, and green blood pooled around her. There was a kind of raspy screeching from the zombie things, and a door to the right opened. Shotguns out, we stood our ground and tore them to shreds.

"So how are we going to kill this thing?" Kaidan asked.

"The tendrils! Perhaps if we destroy the Thorian's supports, it will simply fall down the shaft!" Liara suggested.

"Works for me. Tendrils in the same room those things came from. Push forward," I ordered. Together, we moved. The next room housed a bulbous mass along the wall, connected to the Thorian's… core? Either way, we shot the mass, green fluid spurting out and painting the walls, shreds of matter tearing off until the mass deflated like a balloon and the tendril connecting it snapped. The Thorian seemed to gurgle in pain. We made our way up a staircase, killing more of the creatures. Not sure I want to know what happens if they get too close. At least they aren't intelligent in their aggression. Their loud, they don't wait to charge en mass. It makes our job easier. The Thorian began making noises again, and at a glance, I saw yet another Asari pop out of its vagina mouth. I gagged again.

"Wrex, watch our backs. Another one's down there," I took a deep breath to keep my lunch down. Another room of those things was cleared, and Wrex took care of the Asari who acted much like the creatures, just in a more "developed" body. She didn't have any weapons, and it didn't seem like any biotics either. Suppose the Thorian can't just make brains with Eezo in them.

Eventually, we found ourselves on the upper level, removing one more tendril. There were others higher up, but the Thorian was straining. We shot at it just like the others. Like a chain reaction, tendrils began snapping. The Thorian dropping as other tendrils got thinner and thinner. The Thorian let out some sort of roar. And then it was gone. Falling down the shaft, likely all the way to the planet's surface. There was the wet noise of some kind of fleshy sac opening. I turned on a dime, shotgun in hand, to see that one of the bulbous sacs on the wall had opened. Dripping fluid, and another naked Asari. But this one, was a natural color for the Asari. A light purple and blue mix. She had the same markings on her face as the other Asari, but instead of attacking, she gazed at her hands. And us.

"I'm free. I'm free!" She must then have felt a bit of a breeze, as she looked down, and noticed her own state. A bit embarrassed, she moved her hands to cover herself. Embarrassed, but, seemingly not panicked. Like that of a woman who had no memory as to why she was naked and in public. "I… suppose I should thank you for releasing me." Cautiously, I lowered my gun, and the others started to do the same.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm… fine. Yes. At least, I will be, in time."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Shiala. I serve-" she cut herself off. Glancing down. "Served, Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I." the guns came back up. She was not surprised, or fazed.

"I'd hold up a hand to gesture for patience, but…" she forced a smirk. "Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to guide him down a better path, but Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way."

"We know. She told us about the indoctrination on Noveria," I revealed. If this Asari is still an agent of Saren, and convinces us to let her go, fooling us, it just means that Saren will know he has one more tool we're onto.

"Did she tell you the true power of his influence, of his indoctrination, comes from his warship?" Shiala asked.

"She did…" I trailed off.

"Then you will understand how I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian. To learn its secrets. He offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between the two. That, is why I was inside that… thing. Being under the Thorian's power seems to have… freed me." Seems we just missed the bastard.

"Guess he doesn't value the lives of his people any more than others," Kaidan remarked.

"And that extends to the Thorian as well. After Saren had what he wanted, he ordered the Geth to destroy all evidence of its existence. He did not want you to gain the Cipher."

"The Cipher?" I raised a brow under my helmet.

"Yes. The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions, no? But they would have been unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly understand the visions, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their history, their culture, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before them. It watched them, studied them, and when they died, consumed them. They became a part of it."

"So… the Thorian taught Saren to think like a Prothean? How'd it manage that?" I questioned.

"The Cipher is the essence of being a Prothean. I can't explain or describe it, not truly. It would be like creating a new color. All that I can tell you, is that the Cipher doesn't change one like you might think. If you gain it, your morals will not change. Your personality will not change. And oddly, you also will not gain the full knowledge of the Protheans. Instead, it will be like an… other, which transcribes for you."

"Well… that's odd," I murmured.

"I sensed all of this, the Cipher, when I melded my mind to the Thorian. Our identities intertwined. Such knowledge can't be taught, it simply exists."

"So… I need you to meld with me so I can get the Cipher then?" I asked after pausing a moment.

"Yes."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, skipper," Ashley warned.

"Yeah, well, we don't have much choice, it seems," I muttered. "Get on with it." Shiala nodded, and removed her hands from her body, walking closer.

"Try to relax. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell," she spoke quietly. "Reach out to the binds that bring life together." I tried to comply. I was still nervous, off put, but I needed the cipher. "Every action sends ripples across the Galaxy," she stared into my eyes. I felt… a presence, reaching to my mind. Gently seeking entry. It was unsettling. "Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit." she stood right in front of me. Still naked, still glistening with whatever kind of fluid was in that sac. "Your helmet…" she trailed off. Cautiously, I removed it, and held it to my side. "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe. She placed her hands on the side of my head, gently, raised her head, closed her eyes. She brought her head back down to mine and her eyes opened to reveal… black. "Embrace eternity!"

 _Images. Still broken, but consistent. Stone buildings, vines creeping along them. Strange, alien bodies still. Frozen, or just an image? It was decayed. Flashes of machine and metal and wire. Graved into the flesh. A body, part metal, part flesh, image is close to a closed mouth. A dead mouth. It opens, decayed flesh still sticking. It screeches. More machines. More bodies. Dead? Alive? Pained and terrified expressions. A sight of bodies fleeing a light. A light from a structure floating in the sky. The bodies vanish as the light envelopes them and fades. The sky is burning. Debris falling. A new image, a sun? Rapidly the image pulls back. A planet, dark and shadowed. Another. The image zooms in on the planet. Four yellow eyes glow out of the shadow. A red glow reveals the shape. A ship like Sovereign. The glow gets brighter, the image zooms back. Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands of similar shapes. I hear a whisper._

 _They are coming._

My eyes open and I'm staring Shiala in the face. My breathing quickens. I feel a cold sweat. I see empathy in her eyes. She saw what I saw.

"Shepard? Shepard!" Tali repeats, seeing me stagger back, hands going to my head.

"It's true. It's all true. It's all fucking real…" I murmured. Repeatedly.

"What did you do?" Ashley exclaimed, pointing her rifle at Shiala. She held her hands up.

"Put it-Put it down, Williams," I ordered, coming back to my senses. "Put it down. I think it worked." I gulped. And continued to breath. "The visions have never been that clear."

"What did you see, Commander?" Liara asked.

"A fucking nightmare…"


	26. Echo

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Back from my trip! Sorry the chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I think next one will have some decent length to it. Either way we're coming up to the end of ME1 rather quickly, and I'm expecting ME2 will generally also have longer chapters**

 **Commander John Shepard**

I hadn't said much after that meld with Shiala. She wanted to stay on Feros to help the Colonists, as a way to atone for what she did under Saren's thrall. We got her some clothes, and when the Colonists later woke up, they agreed. We essentially remained on guard duty until the Alliance ships arrived, which the Normandy had to depart in order to join in. If the Geth could help it, it seems they didn't want me leaving. Fortunately, using similar tactics to last time, and the Normandy's surprise capabilities, the attack went smoothly for us, and the Geth ships were left as scrap in orbit.

I contacted the lead of the Fleet detachment, to learn that it was Rear Admiral Bradford. I gave a brief explanation of the situation down here, and she readily agreed to send some of the doctors on her ships down to check on the survivors, especially the ones the Thorian once controlled, as well as some marines to pick up Jeong. I then returned to the Normandy to write up the report for Hackett and the Council. I sent it, then gathered the crew in the comm room for debrief.

What I had yet to tell anyone, even put in the report, is that I kept seeing the vision. Every time I got distracted, even for a second, losing focus on any task, I saw more and more flashes from the vision. Some were even new. They were becoming clearer. I did not look forward to sleeping tonight. But the crew was gathered, and it was time to debrief.

"Commander? Are you alright? You look… pale. That is an ill sign in Humans, correct? Are there negative effects from the Cipher?" Liara asked. I sighed and ran a hand over my face.

"Maybe part of it was the meld, but… it's just unsettling," I reassured. She seemed to blush.

"I… might be able to help." She sat straighter with her legs pressed together and her hands clasped on her lap. "I am an expert on the Protheans, and… if we were to meld, I could gain both the Cipher, and the visions. Together, we might be able to make some sense… of it…" she ended with an awkward murmur. Well, given her pass a while ago I think I see why this is a bit awkward for her. I then heard Ashley start a chuckle before freezing and just stopping, struggling to hide a smirk. While… Tali seemed to shrink back a little? I sighed again.

"Fuck it. I suppose the Cipher is something that deserves to be spread around a bit. You sure you want the visions though? They aren't pleasant," I warned. Liara nodded.

"If it can help us locate the Conduit, Commander, I believe it will be worth it."

"Alright. Just try to do it quickly. If last time was any indicator, this isn't something I particularly enjoy," I requested. Liara then stood, and I did the same.

"Then I shall pass over the starting rhetoric. Just relax." Liara stood in front of me, staring into my eyes. I immediately felt the presence at my mind, requesting entrance. It did not slowly creep up, like it did with Shiala. Subtly. Rather just quickly, bluntly, even. She closed her eyes. "Embrace eternity." They opened, and were black.

 _The images again. But this time, far more rapid. Nearly impossible to make them out individually this time. The horrific noises that normally accompanied them were now sped up, and almost blending into an even more incoherent, but no less haunting mess. I saw the ships, and it stopped. I heard one last whisper._

 _Avenge us, Human._

Liara took several steps back, eyes once again normal, but wide. Her hands slowly went towards her head. She was breathing faster than normal. I felt… fine?

"That…" she stopped herself to breathe again. "That was incredible! All this time, all my research, yet I never dreamed…" she had a hand against her forehead now. She then returned her gaze to me. "I'm so sorry, Commander. The images were so vivid. I never would have imagined for it to be so… intense. Your will must be remarkably strong. A weaker mind would have been destroyed."

"Comes with being a warrior. A true warrior. And a survivor," Wrex gave me a sideways glance and a nod. Hm, gaining the respect of someone who's been alive somewhere between seven and eight hundred years. Give or take. That's something.

"Well, what did you see?" Ashley questioned, not aggressively, but, curiously. A bit impatient because of the curiosity. Another improvement.

"I'm still not entirely sure," Liara revealed with a bit of embarrassment. "The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. It seems like significant parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred is incomplete."

"I've been seeing the occasional new image as time passes. Might be that what we need is still being pieced together by our heads," I suggested.

"Hm, then we'll have to wait and see," Liara mused. "But I am now certain of at least one thing. The Protheans were indeed destroyed by a race of Sentient Machines. A massive fleet of ships identical to Sovereign. They are very real, and most certainly, a major threat. I do think… that I'm able to discern something, however," Liara paused, closing her eyes as if focusing on another flash. "I believe the Conduit is on a world hidden by the Protheans. Unfortunately, I do not know where this world is. I suspect Saren has this information."

"So, we need to make our move then. We need to find some base of operations and go on the offensive. Not just wait for him to try and find something," I mused. "I'll request additional efforts from the Council and the Alliance to find something. Anyone have anything to add?" No one spoke up. "Then dismissed. Joker, the Council ready for a talk then?" The others began leaving, and Joker conveyed that they needed just another moment. A few minutes after the crew had all left, they were patched in. Holograms of the three Councilors appeared, and once again, Tevos saw fit to begin.

"Commander," she greeted with a nod. "ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job much easier."

"Frankly that's the last thing about them I'm concerned with. And I'm sure that you all feel the same," I remarked, feeling a bit emboldened by my lingering anger towards them. "Making deals with the terrorist organization Cerberus, using unwilling, unknowing human test subjects who were being infected and controlled by an unknown creature, threatening the life of a worker who spoke out," I listed off. The Councilors glanced amongst one another.

"Of course, these are also significant. Though we see fit to hold our action until after you investigated the two leads you found. In the meantime, we are willing to allow the Alliance to handle legal action," Tevos responded. I don't approve, but that's not entirely unreasonable.

"I regret that your hand had been forced to destroy it rather than capture it or leave it alive. Study, ethical study, could have produced a wealth of knowledge if what it, and this, Shiala, told you," Valern mused.

"It may be better off this way, I'm afraid. I tried to reason with it, but it didn't seem particularly willing to trust or work with… non-plants, after Saren betrayed it. Further it could have gained control over the scientists," I reminded.

"Perhaps," Valern shrugged. "Regardless, that's all academic now."

"At least the Colony and its inhabitants were saved," Tevos nodded. Sparatus scoffed.

"Of course it was. Shepard would go to any lengths to help a Human Colony." I raised a brow, keeping my anger in check as I was a bit unstable right now.

"Councilor Sparatus, I understand you still have doubts about me, and I can respect that. But I suggest you wait for the time to come when the lives of a non-human colony rests on my shoulders for you to insinuate that I wouldn't do the same for them. It would save you both the embarrassment and the apologies for when I prove you wrong." Sparatus' brows furrowed, and he moved to begin speaking, but seemed rather surprised by the chuckling of his fellow Councilors.

"Wise advice, Commander," Tevos smirked.

"And an admirable view. But remember, Spectres must make sacrifices from time to time. I hope you're willing to do the same when the time comes," Valern reminded. I simply nodded.

"I have a request, Councilors. During the debrief with my ground team, Dr. T'Soni suggested a mind meld to transfer both the visions from the Eden Prime Beacon as well as the Cipher to her. Given her knowledge of the Protheans, she believed she could be of help deciphering them. She claims that the data from the Beacon is incomplete. She made out that the Conduit is on a world hidden by the Protheans, and can… sense, a gap for where its location should be. That the information should be present, but like it's corrupted. She suspects Saren has this information. It's my evaluation that we cannot simply wait for Saren to make another move now. Waiting to see what he next attempts to gain. We need to go on the offensive. But to do that, we need to know where to attack. I'm requesting that you use whatever means you deem necessary to gain intel on locations Saren may be basing himself. Even in the Terminus systems. I'll be making the same request to the Alliance." The Councilors glanced amongst themselves, and nodded.

"We already have teams searching, but we will send additional agents," Tevos stated.

"Much appreciated, Councilors. Thank you."

"Goodbye, Commander. We'll be waiting for your report on the leads from ExoGeni." The comms went silent.

"Joker, I want at Nodacrux by the time we wake up tomorrow," I ordered through the intercom.

"Aye, aye, Commander. It's just one relay jump and some FTL away."

"Good. You make sure to get some shut-eye too, alright?" I reminded, yawning.

"Don't need to tell me twice." I exited the comm room and went down to my quarters. By the looks of it, most of the others were already in their sleeper pods. Or at least getting ready to. I stripped, took a shower, washing off the sweat. Dried myself off afterwards, threw on some boxers, and fell into bed. I was exhausted. Physically and mentally. It wasn't long until I drifted off.

 _The land was barren. The sky dark and clouded. There was no sign of anything alive. Just bones sticking out of the dirt. There were dead, leafless trees in the distance, I stood in a barren grassland. What used to be a grassland, at least. I see… a faint, glowing green light. And it's getting closer. There were the whispers again._

 _They are coming._

 _Stop them._

 _Avenge us._

 _Break the Cycle._

 _The words repeated, in varying order. There were other whispers, but I couldn't make them out. The distant light was close enough for me to see that it had a form. As it got closer, I was able to make it out. Bipedal. Two arms, three fingers on each. A plated, bug-like head. It wore what seemed like robes with intrinsic patterns. Perhaps they meant something. Perhaps they didn't._

 _Nobility, the voices whispered. Answering my question, it seems? The figure stood a few feet in front of me. Four, unblinking eyes. This figure, however, seemed like a hologram. I could see through it._

" _Commander John Shepard. Son of Hannah and Adam Shepard. Now we can communicate properly." the figure spoke. A feminine voice. The accent sounded either Jamaican or one of the African accents. I'm not sure._

" _Who, or what, are you?" This is a dream… I can tell. But… I can't control it. I've never seen any environments, or… things like this for my mind to mirror._

" _This system is designated as: Echo. A virtual intelligence created by the Prothean Empire in its final days. Imprinted with the features and limited personality of… error. Data corrupted. This system was one of many placed within our beacons, waiting to warn the next cycle. This system, and the beacon of its origin, were damaged. When the Turian, Saren Arterius, used it, and when you used it, a copy of this system was imprinted. Proper communication was delayed by need to translate your language to that of the Protheans. The Cipher has bypassed this need. Before, fragments could be, as you described, whispered, to you."_

" _So… does that mean a copy of you is now in Liara's head?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Well… what is it? What do you have to tell me, Echo?"_

" _... Data corrupted."_

" _Shit…"_

" _Damage to beacon and this system's memory was severe. In addition, the Protheans failed to anticipate the severity of the damage to the overall beacon network. However, this system has analyzed this cycle. There is still time to delay the Reapers. However, length of delay, is unknown. While this cycle is still primitive, if prepared, if united, there is a chance. A chance the Empire did not have."_

" _Well, that's something at least," I muttered. "What are the visions you've showed me?"_

" _This system's first attempts at communication. They consist of images this unit gathered during the Reaper conquest of the world you call, Eden Prime. In addition, the final image of the Reaper fleet, as was a production of a programmer to show severity of the threat in case proper communication could not initially be established."_

" _Where is the Conduit?"_

" _Data corrupted."_

" _What exactly is the conduit?"_

" _Data corrupted."_

" _Damn it…"_

" _Apologies, Commander. This system can provide no more information. This system was designed to utilize transferred energy from a Beacon to persist long enough to communicate with linked individual, and then, disseminate, as to not leech energy from host. All denizens of the Galaxy must perform at peak proficiency to defeat the Reaper threat. This system has already required the use of some of your own energy, and shall not use any more than absolutely necessary. Goodbye."_

" _Wait! Come on there has to be something! Anything damn it!"_

 _The hologram faded, the landscape faded, everything went black._

I woke, more relaxed than one would expect. And, feeling surprisingly rested. Energized, even. I got ready for the day, knowing we should arrive at Nodacrux soon, and went out to the mess hall. The crew was already gathered, waiting for food. Today was a day for Chef to just make a more generic meal for the crew to conserve supplies. We end up in port often enough that we can still afford some luxuries, but it's still better to save more often than not. Quietly, I sat down. Something must have been off with my expression.

"Are you alright, Shepard? You appear… uneasy," Tali spoke up. I glanced amongst the others, they were watching, seemingly thinking the same. Except for Liara.

"You have the dream too, Liara?" I asked.

"I did."

"Dream?" Ashley questioned, confused.

"Apparently the beacon had a VI in it. Echo, I think. Bits are fuzzy. It was still trying to translate English to Prothean, but the Cipher bypassed all that. When I was asleep, I guess it saw fit to talk then," I began.

"Did it tell you where the Conduit is?" Garrus got to the point.

"No, unfortunately. Beacon was broken, VI was broken. Lost that information."

"Is it still in your head?" Wrex asked.

"No. Something about… it would only last long enough to tell me what it needed to say. To not… drain energy, yeah, that's right," I nodded. "It deleted itself."

"Did it say anything valuable?" Kaidan leaned forward.

"There was something, I guess. It said it evaluated our 'cycle,' and said we still had a chance. Also said that the Protheans never had a chance," I recounted.

"It told me much the same," Liara murmured.

"Eerie…" Kaidan mused. The food arrived, and we began eating. I'm not sure if we anticipated as much, but if we thought that was Eerie…

Nodacrux would prove far, far worse.


	27. Hunting Hell's Hound

**Commander John Shepard**

We were closing in on the Nodacrux colony now. The colony was only minor, and not supported directly by the Alliance, but rather private investors. Like ExoGeni. And apparently, it was less of a real colony, and more like a large camp. The world isn't truly habitable. Breathable atmosphere, yes, but the oxygen levels are high and produce large insects. In addition, large balls of pollen that float around which the allergic reaction can kill. So people only ever go outside with masks and rebreathers. And the population was only in the double digits. Adults without much commitment elsewhere. Upon our arrival we had also detected a distress call. One that had been active since the same date logged in the ExoGeni terminal. And this distress call was out in the hills. We need to check the colony first.

The Mako crested one more hill, and… it wasn't a pleasant site. There was a crashed shuttle in the side of the rock face by the colony, and there was a small horde of those creatures from the Thorian just standing there. Spread out, most over corpses. Decaying corpses. Dried blood coating the walls of the few buildings present. My anger was rising.

"Garrus, get ready," I warned. I then honked the Mako's horn. A bit odd that a military vehicle has one, but it has its uses, and it's placed where you won't just press it on accident. The creatures then began charging for us, swarming. Garrus mowed them all down, stopping only to fire an explosive round and let the guns as he did so. They never got close. When clear, I led the others out to investigate, no one said a word. We expected to find something like this. Didn't make finding it any easier on us. Taking some initiative, Tali got into a terminal and found mention of a neighboring site. Small, run by the colony's "patrons," ExoGeni. A vocal order was not required. Must be the source of the distress. I stormed back to the Mako, and they followed, knowing our next destination. When we arrived at the facility, which was dug into the side of another mountain range, there were some silos either for food or water, one would assume, as well as more of those creatures just standing around it. Less than at the colony, so perhaps more were inside. We cleared out those outside, and also noticed additional bodies. Security personnel. Men and women who had weapons and armor, but still failed to fight them off. Armor torn open by the claws, or even corroded somehow, melting into the skin. There were some other puddles and globs of slain creatures that we know we didn't create, so they managed to kill some at any rate.

We opened the main entrance to the facility, and once it's airlock finished, releasing us into the facility proper. We could barely see anything as our visors adjusted to night vision. The power was down, clearly, and as our visors adjusted, we saw more corpses and blood splatters. Corpses of ExoGeni employees given the bloodstained uniforms and keycards.

"Form a line, and get ready," I ordered. "Williams, Alenko, _carefully, quietly,_ place mines on each side of the hallway." They obeyed, and once done, they got back into formation. Once I saw everyone in place, I took the butt of my rifle and beat it along the metal wall, creating an echoing clanging noise to draw out more of those creatures. Screeches filled our ears, and then the rapid footsteps of those creatures as they homed in on the noise. It's a good thing we had night vision, else we wouldn't have even seen them until they were too close. Instead we saw a few dozen turn the corner in the darkness, some sliding along the floor as they scampered to change direction, and we opened fire immediately. They didn't stop until they died. Not registering pain, fighting against the force of the rounds. There was something spine chilling about how despite how many rounds we were firing and how many we were putting down, they still got close enough to set off the mines. And that wasn't a small distance to cross in a situation like this. It was about ten yards. When the mines detonated, it blew holes into adjacent rooms and caused a relatively small amount of rubble from above to fall and partially block the hall. About two seconds after the detonation, a handful of those creatures attempted to clamber over, only to be shot down. And seconds after, a few green and clammy hands tried to pull themselves up and over, hinting that some had lost limbs, but hadn't popped. We remained in position just a few seconds longer, just to be safe. And no hostiles revealed themselves.

Slowly, we moved deeper, carefully climbing over the small rubble pile, and through the hall splattered with the green goo. Some doors had been beaten down, with corpses torn apart inside the room, others were hard locked, and some were just open, and not always contained a corpse. We'll need to find out how this happened. It doesn't seem like ExoGeni planned this. Hell, I honestly have no idea what they were even doing with the Thorian creatures here. The crashed shuttle by the colony seems to imply that there was an accident, and the fact that their own facility is fucked adds credence to that.

"Shepard, over here, a light," Tali called out. Somewhere with power? She was standing by another door and pointed inside. There was a light on over a door. And a terminal beside the door, online. The squad fell in behind me, and we got a closer look. Tali specifically got a closer look at the terminal. It was enough to get her omni-tool linked into the facility's systems. "Someone's diverting all power into this section. Likely a vestige of survivors. Attempting to retrieve the situation logs…" Tali trailed off as she typed away. "Here. Apparently these creatures that ExoGeni labeled as 'Creepers,' were docile, of a sort. They simply didn't do anything. I suppose the Thorian then decided it had had enough, as the logs indicate that suddenly, they went violent, attacking everything at possibly the worst time. It caused a shuttle planned to arrive here to crash over the colony, releasing the creepers there, while creepers already here broke containment. While I can't find any logs here as to what the experiments were, I can say that before, the creepers apparently attacked more methodically. Ruthlessly, savagely, yet also intelligently. Freeing some who couldn't free themselves."

"So maybe when the Thorian died they just went full savage," Garrus mused.

"Can you get us through the door?" Ashley asked.

"Hold on, Chief. If there are survivors on the other side, they're just going to shoot the moment that door opens on its own," I warned. That being said, I don't exactly think we could be considered friendlies to these bastards. I made a fist and knocked on the door. "Any survivors in there? Open up!" I held up a finger for patience. The door opened, showing a tired and terrified private security member. Not too far from a rent-a-cop, but generally good enough for an organization like ExoGeni to hire for shady business. Upon seeing we weren't creepers, and seeing the N7 upon my chest, he lowered his weapon and stepped aside. A short, brown haired woman stood at the front of other survivors, both employees and guards. The former mostly on the ground, the latter, struggling to stand up after a constant watch for this long.

"Rescuers? Thank god!" the woman at the front breathed. "See? I told you that someone would come to investigate!" she turned towards one of the scientists on the floor, then back at me. "My name is Doctor Ross. Chief ExoGeni researcher at this facility. We've been trapped in this room for days! We're almost out of food and water. You got here just in time!"

I raised my rifle, staring her down as a terrified and confused look sprawled across her face, and that of the other scientists. The guards struggled to raise their own weapons. My squad followed suit.

"We're not here to kill you. But we're not here to rescue you either," I began. Put your weapons down, we're rested, better equipped, and, we have biotics." On cue, Liara, Kaidan, and Wrex glowed blue, and the faint shimmer of a barrier formed around us. We weren't just passing by and found this signal. We were on Feros. And in the ruins of the Geth ravaged ExoGeni facility, we found mention of a colony going dark. And by that point we had already learned all about the Thorian. The Thorian then forced my hand, and I killed it. Ethan Jeong is on his way to Arcturus in the brig of an Alliance ship to answer a lot of questions. And if anyone here is smart, that's exactly what's going to happen to you as well."

"Well… no point in lying," Dr. Ross started to stand straighter, recompose herself. "You already know the worst."

"What were you doing with all those creepers here?" Ashley demanded.

"Believe me or don't, but unlike Feros, we weren't experimenting with Colonists. There's nothing to gain from that with the creepers themselves. Instead, to try and control them. Modify them. Take away the claws, make them a little stronger, and they would make excellent manual labor. And if we could create a variety of forms, they could perform any tasks for us. A labor force cheaper to create than machines, cheap to maintain with sunlight and a certain mix of mineral water, and these plants wouldn't gain sentience like the Geth did. What happened here was genuinely, a freak accident," Dr. Ross explained. If that's the truth, while they're still accomplices here to Jeong's group, their work in and of itself had better intentions. Even if ExoGeni would have more than likely sold the creepers and that mix of mineral water for rather high prices. So, they don't deserve the anger I had been building. The Thorian orchestrated the accident.

"If you're telling me the truth, and we will most certainly verify that, if the courts decide to give you any jail time at all, it won't be for long. All of you will still be brought to Arcturus for questioning, but you would all be pretty fucking stupid to trade your lives for even the worst punishment that could be brought against you. Comply," I stated coldly. Several of the guards glanced among themselves, and lowered their weapons to the ground, raising their hands. That prompted a handful of others to do the same. Three were still holding them. And all the scientists had also put their hands up. Dr. Ross remained.

"It's over now, Commander. There's no need to report this, is there? I have a nice little account brimming with credits in exchange," she offered cautiously.

"You want me to add a bribery charge, doctor? You have two guards still holding guns, and we still have all of ours. If you continue to resist there's a lot of places we can shoot you to incapacitate you, and take you anyway. Do it the easy way. Cuffs, or your knees, and then cuffs?" I threatened. I wasn't entirely lying. I'd certainly shoot her leg, but I wouldn't need to shoot the knee. A less lethal and less debilitating shot that will have the same desired effect. Just so long as I didn't hit the femoral artery.

"Damn it…" the doc murmured. And then her hands went up. And the last two guards put their weapons down.

"Smart move. Start cuffing them," I ordered the team. I then commed the Alliance Frigate we had tailing us from Bradford's detachment. The Frigate was simply there to pick up any prisoners or survivors we find, so that the Normandy won't get bogged down with responsibility for them. The SSV Hong Kong. A shuttle was soon disembarking the ship with a squad of marines to take these survivors away. Once they were all cuffed, I sent Tali and Wrex to go find a database, making sure they kept in regular contact. In the process, they had to re-distribute power to the rest of the facility, which coincided with the arrival of the marines, which allowed us to re-group with Tali and Wrex while the survivors were taken away. Surprisingly, the files in the database confirmed Dr. Ross' story, and provided many other files that I'll send to the Alliance to sift through in the upcoming legal battle. We returned to the Normandy, and remained in the cargo bay, ready for action, as the ship made the short trip to the Matano system, and then towards Chasca. A colony officially supported by the Alliance and also funded by ExoGeni. Unlike Nodacrux, this is a colony who still have family and friends elsewhere. This is a colony for families. For children.

Only one-hundred-and-fifty people live there today, but a large recruiting drive is in the works. The planet is tidally locked to Matano, but it has a band where the temperature is suitable. More interesting, is the fact that the planet has a ring, almost invisible from space, but catches and scatters the light of the sun in beautiful ways when viewed from the ground. And it's all made of synthetic materials.

We landed in a field just north of the colony. We could even see one of the two residential structures in the distance. No telling from this distance if that was the one which doubled as an administration building, and there would also be a construction building to house their equipment. As we drove south, the sun was pointed right towards us, making what might arguably be one of the most beautiful ways to view the scattering of light through the ring. Seeing different rays of light, some of which being changed into various colors, all in an intricate display. All in a stark contrast to what is likely going to be one of the most nightmarish sights we've ever witnessed. No one said a word.

The Mako came to a stop just outside the first building. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. It all just appeared deserted. No equipment, no people. I began to drive the Mako around the building, to see if we could find some clue. And we did. Just as the vehicle peered over the corner, we saw a trio of Dragon's teeth. And no bodies on them.

"Fuck," Kaidan murmured.

"Are those… the samples, Cerberus wanted?" Liara asked hesitantly.

"Must have been a goddamn Cerberus shuttle we saw on Feros," Ashley growled. "Bastards were picking up Dragon's Teeth."

"They didn't turn the whole colony into them, did they? They couldn't have. There were _children_ here," Tali muttered.

Once again, I was fuming. I was gripping the wheel so tight I think I might be close to breaking it. My knuckles are undoubtedly white as snow under my armor.

"Garrus, Tali, stay put, the rest of us will bring the Husks to you. Then we'll check for survivors. If anyone here believes in some higher power, pray to em we find anyone still alive…" I ordered quietly and bitterly.

These buildings didn't have airlocks, as they had no need for them, and it soon became clear that this was building was just residential. There would be a large room filled with soundproof cubicles. Some just big enough for a couple to stay in, some for a couple and one or two children. The Mako had been backed up so that Garrus would have a decent sightline into the chokepoint that was the entrance, and the others were formed up into a line against the Mako with weapons ready. Like with the creepers, I opened the door, ready to bang the butt of my rifle against the wall. But as it opened, I already had eyes on several Husks. Some, distinctly smaller than the others. God fucking damnit.

They had eyes on me in turn, and that meant there was no need for me to make any noise. I just ran back to join the others. We heard the almost mechanical screeching of the husks, and they began running out to meet us. The first group out was probably a family once. Two adult sized husks, and one child sized.

And I just couldn't pull the trigger. Not on the kid. Husk or not. No amount of internal screaming that it wasn't a kid anymore, that it was now something… else, could pull that trigger. No amount of screaming that it was probably a mercy could do it either. I watched the adults fall to gunfire, but the child was still running. Straight for me. I stared into its glowing eyes and saw nothing. No pupils, no remains of anything remotely human. Just machine.

A shotgun blast sent it flying back into the wall. Now, Garrus was raining hellfire on the Husks running out behind them, ones that were further away to the door than those three. It gave us relief.

"There's only going to be more of them, Shepard," Wrex muttered. The one who fired that shot. "Those things killed those kids. They just use their bodies like puppets now. Avenge them. Let em find peace in the void." I gave the old warrior a sideways glance, took a deep breath, and gave him a nod. A nod he returned, as he watched the door again. The bodies had piled up now, but no more Husks were charging.

"Biotics, move em out of the way, bring em outside," I ordered. Kaidan, Wrex, and Liara moved up, the Asari doing so much more hesitantly. They glowed blue, and the pile of bodies was lifted, and moved outside and to the side. We went inside to investigate.

There wasn't a speck of blood anywhere. Not a sign of any resistance from these people. Everything was in place. There wasn't a single human body. And there were still children's toys left out where they had been playing before this all happened.

Though it goes without saying, we found no survivors.

We returned to the Mako, Garrus and Tali still inside. She looked at me as I sat down, tilting her head to the side. I shook my head side to side. Here gaze shifted downwards, sadly. I gently put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed as I began driving us towards the next building, the residential and administrative one. I heard her sniffle as her right hand came over on top of mine. I wouldn't say either of our moods were improved, but… I suppose something stabilized us, for lack of better words. I'm not sure why, or what about this did it, but, it did.

The condition of the other building was much more obvious. Dragon's teeth surrounding it, and the door to it even open, Husks were already outside. Garrus got to work with the gun. I suppose the Turian mind-set just made it easier to separate the child sized husks from actual children. The noise drew the other husks out quickly, and before long, we were able to investigate inside. Its condition was much like the other building. No damage, no disturbances. Everything left as it was. We found the administrator's office, and her terminal was still online. Its most recent activity was a log. A few days ago, ExoGeni came and established a small facility up on the plateau behind the colony. Over by the agricultural area. That wasn't on any official record. She had also noted that lately that facility had been receiving a lot of shipments from strange shuttles. Ones not bearing any ExoGeni markings. The final entry was that "ExoGeni" who I'm suspecting might have, in truth, been Cerberus using ExoGeni credentials, requesting that the colonists all join them at their facility for an announcement.

We immediately returned to the Mako to investigate. We didn't bother to preserve the crops on our way to the plateau, some small fields of corn and wheat. We found the facility easily atop the plateau, and it was surrounded by Dragon's teeth, and more Husks. It wasn't a large complex, but it wasn't a pre-fab. Longer than it was tall, sprawling across most of the plateau. After Garrus neutralized those outside, we entered. All of us. I wasn't eager to try and lure all potential husks outside. What if there's Cerberus inside? I'd rather them not know. We must have entered through a back way as it was a large storage room to greet us. One with more Dragon's teeth, but no Husks. There was then a chime on a loudspeaker. An intercom. A man's monotone voice appeared.

"Attention: Beta test subjects in cell block five have broken containment. Alpha test subjects and security personnel within have been killed by Beta test subjects. Locking down cell block five. Cell blocks one, two, five, seven, and ten have all been locked down. Cell blocks three, four, six, eight, and nine remain on high alert. Continue preparing all remaining test subjects for off-world transport. Fight for Cerberus, fight for Humanity."

"Good, bastards are still here. I'm itching to kill some of those fuckers," Ashley growled.

"Hold on, Alpha, and Beta test subjects? If it was the Betas that broke containment, those must be husks. And if they killed Alphas, that must be Colonists," Garrus pointed out.

"Thank the Goddess, there are still survivors," Liara murmured.

"Hale-fucking-ulja," I muttered. "Try and take an officer alive, but don't go out of your way to do so either. Fuckers probably have cyanide pills in a false tooth or some shit. Try and find a database for answers, but top priority is the survivors. Find those cell blocks before any more are lost. Understood?"

The crew nodded, and we pushed through. Through the door, there was a small hallway, two doors on both sides. Both had pounding and muffled screeching along the doors. They were labeled. Cell blocks one and two. These will all need to be cleared out before we're done. We took a breaching formation along the next door, and I readied a flashbang. It worked at a previous Cerberus base when they knew we were there. By surprise? I'm sure. We opened the door, and a glance before I threw revealed what was essentially a central hub for the facility. A large room to get you to just about any other part of the facility. And there were Cerberus troops inside. Not too many, but they were there. I brought my head back behind the corner as I threw the flashbang, and I heard one of them cry out as it went off. The very moment it did, we breached. Good thing that troop cried out, it made the others in the room all look in the direction of the flashbang, blinding them all. Made them all easy kills.

"Alert! Intruders have entered the central hub! Echo squad has been neutralized! Our work must not be stopped, kill them!" the intercom ordered.

"Defensive positions! Watch all sides!" I shouted. I watched to make sure the others had gotten ready before I got into my own cover. A support pillar by the corner opposite to where we entered. I only got in just as reinforcements arrived. Some in front of my cover, some behind, and some to the side. Fortunately, everyone pinned down those closest to them, keeping the exposed from being shot. Meanwhile, Wrex went on a rampage, and the other biotics made good offensive use of their abilities. Pulling some troops right out of cover and into the line of fire. Our shields were still all taking hits. Then life decided to remind me just how dangerous our line of work is. My shields collapsed, and I felt impacts at my left shoulder. The impact of the first was absorbed by my armor, and if that was it, I would have been left with just a bruise. But the second broke through. Right through the shoulder blade. I cursed as my arm fell, gritting my teeth as any attempt to lift the arm up resulted in a wave of pain. Fortunately, the lucky bastard was Wrex's next victim, and he found himself in much worse shape than myself. I could already feel the Medi-gel starting its work, but I'll need Chakwas for a proper patch up. I slung the rifle back over my shoulder, and instead unholstered my pistol, so that I could still shoot straight. Still, I had to wait for my shields to regen before shooting again. Once it did, I continued shooting. Wrex continued charging, biotics continued pulling. Eventually, the shooting stopped.

"Shepard! Are you alright?!" Tali immediately ran over after seeing my limp arm.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," I reassured, holding up my other arm. "Medi-gel is doing its thing, I'll see Chakwas."

"Are you sure…?" she trailed off.

"I am, and we still have a job to do. Garrus! You take point," The Turian nodded.

"Door over there says control," he pointed out. "Start there?" I answered with a nod. Garrus then proceeded to lead us inside. It was a single room, with several consoles and terminals. And the body of a man who had shot his own brains out. The pistol still at his side.

"Pity. Had some questions for him," I grumbled. "Kaidan, pull his body outside. Tali, get on the terminals, point us towards the cells." Kaidan pulled the corpse out of Tali's way before she stood, rather than sit, in front of the terminals, not eager to sit on what still has some chunks of brains and bone on it. Just as the body was outside the room, Tali had finished.

"Got it. Uploading a map now," she stated.

"Good. We'll clear it out. You lock yourself inside here and scour the systems for any shred of useful information. Bastard probably started wiping before he offed himself though, so hurry," I ordered. Tali immediately got to work, and we began following the map. Three and four were adjacent to one another, and that's where we started. We grouped up outside of three and breached. Three Cerberus troops fell immediately, their rounds pinging off our shields, and ours breaking right through theirs.

"Help us! Please!" a man pleaded. The cage he was behind was tinted dark, and I couldn't see through. His voice muffled, but audible. Several voices then joined in, and then the screeches of the husks in their clear cells, banging and clawing against their cages.

"We're with the Alliance! We'll get you all out of there, but you have to hold on! We still have hostiles on site!" I reassured. "Quiet, please, we need to kill these Husks, else they will kill you." They began quieting, as we lined up against the Husk cells, and opened fire. Killing them before they could break free. "Stay put, keep quiet, we'll be back as soon as the facility is clear!" We repeated this process all the way through the remaining cells. And it all went much the same. I was barely registering the pain in my shoulder anymore, thanks to the Medi-gel. Nine was the last cell. Least, of those intact And, we had not yet heard the voices of children. I had half a mind to keep the Cerberus bastards alive and let the Husks finish them off. We breached, and killed them quickly, nonetheless. Inside the Husk cells, were the child sized ones. And the tinted…

Children cried for their parents.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

The Normandy was preparing to land on Chasca's surface. We had to get the survivors out now and to Bradford's fleet detachment now, and the Hong Kong didn't have the room for them all. After securing the survivors outside, leaving Liara and Kaidan with them to see to any wounds, help them, we began clearing the overrun cell blocks. Where the Husks broke free, it was an absolute slaughter. No survivors, and only one or two Husks already dead. And when it came time to clear out cell block ten, we learned that nine was not the only block housing children. The fire raged inside once again. Another damning crime committed by Cerberus. Another event that will haunt me long after I tear Cerberus down piece by piece. Before I find the leader, or leaders, of this terrorist group, put the heads on pikes, and place them in my front fucking yard as trophies.

We returned outside just as the Normandy had set down, and the survivors being brought on board. Only a quarter of them, in total, had survived. I then felt a small hand tug against my right. I looked down to see a young boy looking up, short, blond hair and brown eyes. He was tired, and I think he still didn't know what to think of all of this.

"Did you get all the bad people?" he asked. I got down onto a knee, looking him right in the eye.

"We did. They won't ever hurt you again," I spoke softly. He looked down at his feet, and back up.

"Why did the bad people do this?" My heart went out to the kid. All the kids, all the survivors. And something about that question just made it all the more sad.

"I… I don't know. I wish we did, but we don't."

"Oh…" the kid paused. "Thank you." he then started towards the ship, following the others. I watched the kid run to catch up as I stood, and fought back tears. At least some of them survived. Still, I can't help but wonder what would have happened had we got here sooner. More of them would still be alive.

As for information, Tali was able to salvage some encrypted files, but most of the database was still lost. The bug just had too much time to work before we had even gotten inside the control room. It's likely that the files we did retrieve won't provide many meaningful answers when decrypted. But at least we stopped this atrocity.

My shoulder then decided to remind me that it wasn't exactly in a great condition, and I hissed in pain. Yeah, time to go see Chakwas about that.


	28. Healing

**Tali' Zorah**

The ground team was all still sitting at the mess hall table. As were a few members of the general crew. Including the XO, Navigator Pressly. He had been quiet at first, around me at least. But eventually, as we sometimes ended up in the mess at the same time, he tried asking questions. Casual ones. It rarely went beyond that, but he was warming up. The Normandy had returned to the Alliance Fleet detachment, still over Feros, and the survivors transferred over. And Shepard had still not left the medical bay. And I was nervous. Even though I shouldn't be. He was still capable of fighting even with his wound, after all, and Medi-gel would make sure he didn't bleed out. But still, there the nerves were. Chakwas hadn't left either to give a report, which means she must be hard at work. Wrex and Garrus were the only ones who seemed relaxed. Yet, here they are, still waiting. The door to the med-bay opened, and our heads all immediately turned to see Chakwas stepping out.

"He's going to be just fine," she smiled. "The bullet was closer to his chest than his back. And I had to dig out the fragments of bone, set them, replace what was missing or unusable with metal, repair the muscle, and then coat it all in a cocktail of Medi-gel and other formulas to accelerate the process before closing the wound. He should come to within the hour. While he will regain full functionality, he won't be participating in any missions for a few days." I let loose a sigh of relief.

"Then I'll chart a course for the Citadel," Pressly began to stand. "If the Commander disagrees, the hour won't make much difference."

"Probably for the best, yes," Chakwas nodded her agreement. "Now, I need to get myself coffee, then I can go back to keeping an eye on the man." Chef was already waiting with a mug of the odd brown substance. "Oh, thank you, Chef," she accepted the mug, and Chef just nodded, as he does. Chakwas returned to the medical bay, and we continued our wait.

About forty minutes later, Shepard drowsily stepped out. His arm was in a brace and there was padding sticking out from under his shirt surrounding his left shoulder. He saw everyone waiting, and there was the ghost of a smile on his face before he made his way to the table and sat.

"How're ya feeling skipper?" Ashley began.

"You know that feeling when you take a nap, but just wake up even more tired and disoriented? Yeah, that plus the feeling of pins and needles along my arm," he grumbled, still waking up.

"Pins and needles? Surely those along your arm were not required for the procedure," Liara exclaimed, confused. And… well… I also was not sure what they meant by that. The humans chuckled.

"You ever have a limb just fall asleep from a lack of blood flow? Like sleeping on your arm weird, or you sat on the toilet too long and your feet and legs go numb? That's what I mean. Then you try and walk and you stagger and it feels like a bunch of pins and needles are jabbing you," Shepard explained.

"Oh. Yes. That…" Liara shuffled in her seat awkwardly.

"I admit, I was confused at first as well," I spoke, reassuring the Asari that she was not the only one.

"Our plates make it harder for blood flow to really be cut off anywhere. Sure, enough pressure on our soft spots works just fine, but if you're sleeping on those, well, then you're just a contortionist," Garrus remarked. "Hm, and if it's while on the shitter, then, things are going everywhere but the toilet." After a brief chuckle, Shepard changed the topic.

"So, Chakwas tells me we're heading to the Citadel?"

"Yeah. Pressly set course just after Chakwas reported your condition after the procedure," Kaidan answered.

"Survivors get transferred without a hitch?"

"They all just seemed happy to be back in good hands. Though I doubt any of them will be really comfortable for a long time," Ashley ended with a murmur. Shepard was quiet for a moment.

"What about the report? Hackett and the Council still waiting on that?"

"No, Shepard. While you were under, I helped Pressly put a report on Chasca and Nodacrux together. It's already been sent, but given the events… I wouldn't be surprised if both want to hear from you by the end of the day," Kaidan reassured.

"Then I'll wait until I'm not full of meds. Probably wouldn't be right to talk to the Council when I'm still a bit looney," Shepard shrugged.

"So… skipper, earlier you said we should pray to find survivors. I didn't know you believe," Ashley remarked. That's true, he did say that. I suppose I just didn't register it. My mind was… preoccupied. Shepard sighed.

"Actually, Williams, I don't. That was just me being bitter, not expecting to find any, but wishing to the ends of the galaxy that we would all the same. I didn't grow up with religion, and I gave it a shot after Akuze and my dad. Wasn't fulfilling though. Why'd you ask? Thought you found a kindred spirit?" Shepard tried to end on a lighter note. Ashley became flustered. "You're not always as subtle as you think, you know."

"You… don't have a problem with it, do you, sir?"

"What? Of course not!" Shepard chuckled. "You haven't knocked on my door in a sweater vest and tie asking if I want to talk about your lord and savior, haven't seen you shove a bible in anyone's face, haven't threatened non-believers with fire and brimstone, haven't called the Asari sinners for all being bisexual. Yeah, you're fine, Williams."

"That can't be common among the religions of Earth," Liara questioned.

"Sorry, I was exaggerating. It was once, sure, religions went through periods of being tame to being very outspoken and very severe, but it finally started to simmer down and settle during the twenty-first century. Heh, Jehovah's witnesses never really disappeared though."

"Ha! Yeah, when I was back living with my parents in Toronto after BAaT? Still had some of them coming to my door every now and then," Alenko laughed.

"Speaking of, how did BAaT end for you anyway? I remember reading it was only in service for about one go-around," Shepard asked.

"Oh. Uh… not… great, Commander," Kaidan shuffled. "I told you about Vyrnnus? Before that, all I knew about non-humans was the same as the regular civilian at the time. They were weird, superior, tried to tell us what to do. After, with the benefit of hindsight? Shows me that's a load of crap. For a lack of better word, shows me just how human they all are. Assholes and saints like us. It all came to a head one day before we had even managed to get our drink rations. He was punishing us hard because one student tried to make a transmitter to contact home. Strung him up, beat him, forced us to do hours and hours of exercise. Rahna, I told you about her?" Kaidan looked for confirmation from Shepard again. He nodded. This story is all new to me. "Right. Well, she collapsed. Vyrnnus then began taunting her by holding a bottle of water inches from her head with his own biotics. She reached for it with her hand, not her biotics, so Vyrnnus broke her arm."

"What the fuck?!" Shepard exclaimed, as shocked as I was. Broke the arm of an exhausted girl for reaching for the glass, instead of her biotics? That's incredibly cruel.

"Beating trainees in and of itself is crossing a line even by Turian standards. Deliberately breaking one's arm? Where did the Alliance find him?" Garrus questioned.

"Honestly couldn't say," Kaidan shrugged. "Anyways, I stood up, furious. Vyrnnus lost it himself. Started beating the shit out of me too, though I kept trying to defend with my biotics. Kept shouting about how we should have been bombed back to the stone age. I got a good bit of retaliation in, when he pulled the knife. Military-issue talon, right in my seventeen-year-old face. This wasn't my teacher being an asswipe anymore. This was life and death. I let loose, and it turned out to be too loose. A biotic kick, right in the teeth. Snapped his neck, right then and there."

"Goddess, what a vile man," Liara murmured.

"Kudos to you for standing up, Kaidan," Ashley added.

"Keelah, and you were all children during this time?" I questioned, shocked.

"Teenagers, but, yeah. I had already been there a few years. A lot of them snapped. Some died. I'd bet a good number of those who were with Major Kyle and the L2s who wanted reparations were from the other classes there," he theorized.

"Shit's still fucked," Shepard muttered. "Well, we should have a few days of leave on the Citadel so my shoulder can heal up. Have some fun, relax, de-stress. The end-game is getting close, and I want everyone ready. Alright?" We all nodded our understanding. "Good. Now, strange as it sounds, I could use a nap, so that's what I'm going to go do." Shepard then stood, and lazily made his way towards his quarters.

"Bar crawl?" Wrex suggested.

"Bar crawl," Ashley, Garrus, and Kaidan replied in synch.

"I'll go as well," I added. I suppose it should be alright if I'm will all of them.

"And I shall try also," Liara joined.

"I vote we do that the day after we arrive. Keep it easy when we get there. After we all have our own bar crawl, I want to have a girl's day. You boys can have your own day too. Then we can all do something with the Commander," Ashley suggested.

"A 'girl's day?'" I asked hesitantly. I thought she wasn't that fond of Liara and I. And I'm not quite sure what this entails.

"Yeah. We won't be going to a beauty salon or anything like that, not my kind of thing. But a massage will be great. And hey, girl talk," she shrugged.

"A massage? Do we really need that?" I asked cautiously, a bit nervously. I'm not subject to any aches or pains, so the service would be a waste on someone who doesn't really need it.

"Course we do! Have you ever gotten one, Tali? A real massage from a professional? I know that suit can't come off for it but I'm sure it should still feel great. Help me out here, Liara. Am I right or what?" Liara remained quiet, and looked down at her lap, awkwardly. And… get me out of my suit?! What kind of massage are we talking about here? "Don't tell me neither of you have ever had one!" We remained silent.

Alright, that settles it. The two of you are coming with me, we're all getting massages, and we're all going to have a great time. No arguments," she smiled through the demands. Liara and I glanced at each other. What are we getting ourselves into?

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Commander. How's the wound?" My head felt clear enough to warrant a call to Admiral Hackett after that nap, and so I wasted no time in doing so.

"It's healing, Admiral. Thank you."

"Good to hear. Onto the matter at hand, the report delivered tells me that we have both prisoners and survivors on their way to Arcturus. The reports explain mostly everything well enough, but I would still appreciate your own direct input."

"Yes sir. Nodacrux was more of an outpost than a colony, though it did have civilians present. All were slain by the same creatures employed by the Thorian on Feros. Creatures labeled as Creepers by ExoGeni. As unbelievable as it may sound, all casualties sustained there, whether civilian or ExoGeni, was genuinely a freak accident as the Thorian didn't like them poking around anymore. Files at the facility confirmed such," I explained.

"And the Creepers were the only thing being experimented on? Attempting to make a cheap labor force, correct?"

"Correct, sir."

"Hm. This will make the legal battle more annoying. While I'm fairly certain we can nail them overall for unknowing test subject and mind control, not reporting something we could argue as being an equivalent or even more valuable than Prothean technology, they are going to latch onto that labor force to no end. Those involved there will likely find themselves with misdemeanors. Maybe low-level felonies. At least in Alliance courts," Hackett mused. "Now, Chasca. The report mentioned how an unmarked shuttle, which you now believe to be Cerberus, made a pickup with ExoGeni personnel while you were on Feros?"

"Yes sir. Given what we found on the ground, we suspect they were picking up Dragon's Teeth, but it's also not impossible that more Creepers may have been among the samples. Unfortunately, that only adds confusion as the reference to Cerberus within ExoGeni's files led us to Chasca, where we found no Creepers, and where it would have been impossible for them to arrange a trade for Dragon's teeth before they even had them."

"Maybe there would have been answers in the database there," Hackett murmured. "Clarifying, I'm criticizing you, Commander. I understand well the situation you and your team found yourself in during that firefight. There wasn't much else you could do." That's something I like about Hackett. Unlike most Admirals, he worked his way all the way up. He started as a marine, and now he's an Admiral. The most respected Admiral in the Navy. At least by the troops. But the other Admirals? I think most of them still think he's too much of a jarhead. Funny that they don't compare service records to see that it's only ever served him very, very well. Point is, he understands ground combat just as well as he understands space combat. He knows what is and isn't reasonable for his troops.

"Thank you, sir."

"One final question. It was mentioned only briefly in the report, so I simply wish to make sure. When Cerberus established their facility on Chasca, they posed as ExoGeni, correct?"

"Correct. According to the logs from the Colony's administrator, they showed up in ExoGeni ships with ExoGeni credentials. Unmarked ships made drop offs for a few days, and then, still posing as ExoGeni, they requested that all Colonists join them at the main facility."

"Then it's not a stretch to assume that Cerberus also traded for such credentials. Perhaps they fabricate it, sure, but it's not a stretch. Anyways, thank you, Commander. You've done great work. I'll pass this information along to the courts right away. Hackett-"

"Wait, I have one more question, sir," I stopped him.

"Ask away, Commander."

"How's Toombs? Can I contact him?" I requested. Yeah, that was two questions, but, that's just how it came out. Hackett certainly understood that, giving a respectful nod.

"He's in the care of our Therapists. Right now they're trying to work on getting him to agree to reconstructive surgery as well as the regular process. I hear he's starting to come around. As for contact, I'm not sure if they're ready to have him take visitors, even if it's just a call, but I'll send word along, as well as the means to contact you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, and I think you'd like to know two other things. Dr. Wayne is trying to get a plea bargain. Not what I was hoping for, but if it gives us enough intel on Cerberus the lawyers will still take it. Second, I've already dedicated some specialists for finding traces of them anywhere and everywhere, and they have a small task force waiting to follow those leads. They're just waiting for a certain Commander to finish wiping the floor with Saren and the Geth so he can take full charge of their group. Whenever his Spectre duties allow it, at least," the Admiral allowed a grin to show.

"T-thank you, sir. That means a lot," I was surprised. He's giving me an entire task force to hunt those bastards down. And they will all be under my command.

"Of course, Commander. Hackett out." With that call over, still beaming with pride, I called the Council. I wouldn't get their holograms this time, but that shouldn't matter. I still have a vidscreen. A minute or so later, once it was confirmed to be secure, the Council answered.

"Commander. We received the report written by your XO. It made for some very… enlightening reading. We assume it was accurate?" Valern began.

"It was, Councilor. Apologies for not writing it myself, or for not calling sooner," I answered. "I thought it better to wait until I had a clear head, not one clouded by meds."

"It's understandable, given you were wounded, Commander. Out of the two reports, Chasca is the one we are interested in additional details on. The situation on Nodacrux does not warrant Council attention nor is it enough to warrant a Council investigation into ExoGeni. Though I hope it goes without saying that the Council still extends its condolences for the loss of civilian life," Tevos explained.

"I understand. I trust you saw the cross reference in the Chasca report to my Feros report? It seems like the most logical conclusion that Cerberus received some of the Dragon's Teeth from Feros during the attack."

"But why would the Geth allow them to leave? And if they waited, why didn't the Alliance detect them?" Sparatus questioned.

"From what I understand, Cerberus originated as Black Ops before going rogue. Second, the Geth had not formed a full blockade over the planet. They could have easily escaped from another section of the planet easily. And given their black ops history, it's not unlikely that they have their own methods to mask or bypass their presence."

"Are you suggesting they have information on the Tantalus, Commander?" Sparatus' gaze was not a happy one.

"It's a possibility. Sleeper agents, bribes, no government is immune to it," I shrugged. "Still, it's more likely they left while the Geth were still around anyway."

"Hm. This is a matter we shall discuss later to determine whether or not the Council shall act. As it stands, if ExoGeni can truly be held as accomplices to these acts, in addition to Feros, we will take action. As for Cerberus, their actions are abhorrent. Do you believe they could be working alongside the Geth?" Tevos questioned.

"I wouldn't think so, Councilor. They were losing control of their facility to the Husks after all. I suspect they were studying the process. To what end, I don't know. Further, their announcements involved fighting for Humanity. I find it hard to believe they'd tolerate working with the Geth. Much less for Saren. Especially when the only targets of Geth attacks so far have been Human colonies."

"Agreed. Cerberus must have some other motive," Valern nodded. "We will keep an eye out for their activities, but they won't be a priority at this time. Not with the Geth and Saren about. Now, while we have no more questions for you, we do have a suggestion. Once your shoulder has healed, and if you find yourself without tasks while we continue to search for leads, you may benefit from some time at Pinnacle station. It's a training facility for Council agents featuring a state of the art combat simulator. They will be holding a competition there soon."

"Thanks for the tip, Valern. If nothing crops up, I'll look into it."

"Enjoy your rest, Commander," Tevos ended. The call ended. Hm, a break. That'll be nice alright.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, I won't be wasting your time by going through all that Pinnacle station shit. Course not. I just have a little idea that involves it's inclusion. I'll simply skip through pretty much all of them, the only actual scenes upon their first arrival, after beating that Turian's score, after the competition itself, and I think I'll do Ahern, not sure just yet. But that will be after leave on the Citadel, and then after Pinnacle it'll be Virmire. We're really close now, m8s.**


	29. Food for Thought

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just putting and clarifying for now. After the section with Shep you see below, it's part of the Chapter being the "girl's day" that I recommend reading. It has some humor and relationship building between the three. Ashley making up for how she used to be and all that. Among a few other things I'm not just going to blatantly list in an author's note. After that, it's some time of the guy's having their time more or less simultaneously. Lot more joke heavy but some bits have a tie-in with things discussed in the girl's section. Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

 **Commander John Shepard**

We've arrived at the Citadel, and it's close to the end of our day cycle, so no one is really eager to do much for the night. That being said, I'm going to go see David. There's been quite a few… reveals, so to speak, since we last talked. He knew I was on my way and had already ordered pizza for us at his apartment. I called for a cab and was slightly surprised to see that the driver was a Drell. They're simply not a common species, that's all. At least he didn't ask about the rather obvious cast. And possibly even more fortunately, he didn't recognize me. The ride to Tiberius towers was quiet and was quick enough. I'd probably use Uber to save some credits, but then whoever comes to pick me up would see my name. Maybe with my newfound credits I should just buy a sky car. The cab came to a stop, and I thanked the driver for the ride while paying the fare. When I arrived at David's apartment, I saw the delivery boy was just finishing up. Once he pocketed the cash for the order, he turned to leave. Showing a pubescent, slightly greasy face with some minor acne. Some things just never change. I gave him a nod in greeting and he returned it before his eyes widened and he did a double take. Before he could say anything, David had already closed the door behind me.

"No one's going to believe him," I chuckled.

"Kid looked like a deer in headlights when he realized who you were," David laughed, taking the pizza to the kitchen. "So, how's the wound?"

"Numbness is going away, but it aches a bit here and there. I've had worse. You should see what Wrex did to the bastard responsible," I joked.

"Doubt there's much left to see," David smirked.

"Probably not, now that you mention it." David got plates out, I got drinks, and we started eating at the table. It was a bit awkward eating hot slices of pizza with only one hand. Before long, we were done. Only a few slices remained as leftovers for David. I saw the look in his eyes. He had something on his mind. He probably wants to talk to me about as many things as I want to talk with him right now, yet, at the same time, wants to never talk about those things. It's not about Feros, not about the crew, certainly not. He'd love to talk about the crew more, and I think he'd be interested in talking about Feros. He sighed and began.

"I called Toombs as soon as I heard he was at Arcturus. Still can't believe what happened to him…"

"I'm still not sure how I managed to let that fucker, Wayne, live. Finding Toombs, alive, was just… I don't even have words," I murmured.

"Wouldn't have blamed you if you killed him. Hell, I think I'd have killed him myself. Cerberus. What the hell… Akuze, Edolus, Kahoku, and now Chasca? Unbelievable."

"I think them and Balak are going to be tied as my number one targets once Saren's out of the way. Hackett's already put together a task force to track Cerberus down. They'll be doing some work on their own, but I'll be in Command of them after this mess."

"Hm. Then those bastards don't stand a chance."

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

Drowsily, my eyes began to open, my ears filled with the alarm I had set for myself. Quickly, I turned off the annoying noise, and opened my sleeper pod. As soon as my feet touched the deck of the Normandy, I stretched. Arms up, curving my back, and stretching my legs to make myself as tall as possible, all to wake up the muscles. I yawned. Yesterday had been fun. The bar crawl had been an experience, to be sure. I hadn't had any alcohol myself, but we kept to areas of the Citadel where I would still be served. The interactions of a drunk Krogan and Turian were interesting, to say the least. Still waking up, I made my way over to the mess, got a bottle of purified water, and a sterilized protein bar. I simply didn't feel like getting a full meal. Liara was already sitting at the mess, having a small meal of her own.

"Good morning, Tali," she greeted.

"Good morning, Liara. Sleep well?"

"I did, thank you. I trust you did as well?"

"Yes, thank you." Neither of us said anything else as we sat and ate and drank. Then I heard footsteps behind us, coming from the back of this level. Either the elevator or the stairs.

"Hey, there you both are. I've gotten appointments for the three of us to get a massage, and then I think we could grab a bite together afterwards," Ashley reminded. Liara and I glanced at each other again. "Come on, it'll be fun, I promise. It'll get us time to really talk." We still hesitated. Ashley sighed. "Look, I know I was a bit cold to start off. Hell, even a bit of a bitch, sometimes. Let me make up for it, let's start over, alright?" Oh. Well, I suppose we should really give her the chance, then.

"Alright, I'll go, Williams," I relented, looking at her. She smiled.

"Hey, none of that. Just Ashley, alright?"

"I'll go as well, Ashley," Liara added.

"Great! We need to be there in about an hour and a half. So, finish eating, do whatever you need to get ready for the day, then meet me outside the ship." Liara and I nodded and continued eating and drinking. It wasn't long until the three of us were all outside, and Ashley called for the cab. We climbed inside, and away we went.

"So, if neither of you have ever done anything like this before, what have the two of you spent most of your lives doing?" Ashley asked. "I know you're around a hundred, Liara, so that question goes double for you."

"Well, growing up, I was much more academically focused than many of my peers. Asari society in many cases can seem hypocritical. Our maiden years we are encouraged to go out and explore the Galaxy and experience what it has to offer, yet at the same time in childhood we are expected to learn and be educated to be productive members of society, while the first third of our adult life we aren't expected to be productive. In the matron stage, we are expected to begin settling down, reproduce, and begin taking an active role in our politics as well as the workforce. Typically, the kind that earns a salary rather than a wage. Such as a doctor, or teacher, or corporate. Finally, in the Matriarch stage, we are expected to be wise and leaders of our people. But I digress. While I was growing up, my mother believed two things that have something to do with your original question, Ashley. The first, is that the expectations of our society were foolish. On one hand, while exploration of the Galaxy should certainly be encouraged to open one's mind, it should also be encouraged throughout an Asari's life to learn and gain wisdom. To be a hard worker. We do lose many Maidens to merc gangs and as strippers on Omega and other less reputable places. Some return as Matrons from either, some never do. The other thing my mother believed, was that Vanity was blinding. And something our people embraced too easily. While it is one thing to make oneself look nice and presentable, especially for a formal occasion, it is another to almost obsessively and unnecessarily fawn over one's looks. To waste money constantly on the newest beauty products and such. Together, I believe that's why I had never even considered getting a massage. As those tend to involve the full spa treatment," Liara explained.

"Huh. Think I would have gotten along well with your mother," Ashley chuckled. "What about you, Tali?"

"Oh, we simply don't have the time or resources on the Fleet for such things. If it doesn't contribute to the overall survival of the fleet and the Quarian people, it is essentially ignored. True, we have dancers and singers and entertainers, but all of them still spend most of their time doing labor or research. We just don't have masseuses."

"Ok, well, a professional massage, sure. But have you ever gotten a massage at all?"

"While I was growing and experiencing the occasional aches and pains that come with it, my mother would sometimes rub my shoulders and joints when we were in our quarters. But that was a long time ago. I suspect bondmates would still treat one another like that frequently."

"Well, both of you get ready to just absolutely melt into puddy," Ashley remarked. A few minutes later, the cab arrived outside of a moderately sized smoothly designed building clearly designed with Asari architecture. Clean, white, slick, and reflective. The Kithoi Ward Spa and Massage. With a small text under that read "Embrace Tranquility."

"I'm surprised a place like this will even serve Quarians," I muttered. Expensive and fine looking? They wouldn't want a suit rat dirtying their atmosphere.

"I called before booking the appointment. Apparently, the owner remembers way back when. Had Quarians working for her, and apparently, were some of her best. She was just fine with booking you," Ashley reassured.

"Well, that's good." We entered and made our way towards reception. Most of the customers waiting for their appointments were Asari, most didn't take their eyes off me, and I heard could hear a few of them muttering to themselves. I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but I didn't need to. All but one of the other customers were Human women, and they were generally less interested in me. The other was a Turian woman, who was just entirely disinterested by everything going on. Not by the vidscreen, not by any of the magazines, just the display of her Omni-tool, likely reading something or another. We arrived at the receptionist, another Asari, who's eyes darted back and forth between me and Ashley as she put on a smile.

"Here for a group appointment. Name of Williams," Ashley began.

"Of course. One moment…" the Asari began typing at her console. Still glancing at me. "A massage appointment for Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, and… a Tali' Zorah. Correct?"

"It is."

"Excellent. Oh! It says here that Lady T'Kalis has taken an interest in your appointment. I'll let her know you've arrived. Please, take a seat."

"Seems the owner remembers me," Ashley chuckled as we moved towards some empty seats in the waiting area. We waited in silence for just a few minutes when a door behind reception opened to reveal a clearly older Asari in the same general kind of formal dress the Asari seem to wear often. In fact, this one wasn't all that different than the one Councilor Tevos wore when I saw her at Shepard's Spectre induction. She approached us.

"Ms. Williams, a pleasure to meet you in person. Ms. T'Soni and Ms. Zorah, I presume?" she held out a hand, having already shook Ashley's. Liara and I both accepted. "I'm Lady T'Kalis. I'm the owner, and I still enjoy employing my craft directly from time to time. It's been quite some time since I've had any Quarian clients. I thought I might see if my skills have retained over time. May I ask what the occasion is?"

"Just a girl's day. The two of them haven't gotten a real massage before, so I thought I'd treat them," Ashley explained.

"That is kind of you. Now, please, follow me and we can get started." We followed Lady T'Kalis into the back rooms, a spotless white and well-lit hallway despite having no visible lights. Must be some sort of reflective trick with the surfaces. Along the hall were doors labelled with numbers, and then we stopped at the end of the hall. Room twenty. Inside, were three flat, cushioned tables, all separated by a thin, white, cloth drape. A towel folded neatly in the center of each.

"Please, get comfortable, and simply call once you are ready," T'Kalis stated, and then exited through a side door.

"I'll take the middle," Ashley then lifted her shirt, surprising both Liara and I. Fortunately, she still had a bra on. Nothing fancy about it. Just the kind of undergarment my people haven't required for centuries. "What? Oh. Yeah, that's what the drapes are for. Strip down, wrap the towel around the waist, lie stomach down on the table. Let's the masseuse work the best," she shrugged. "Though, don't think Tali really needs to worry about that." Liara was clearly blushing, and, still feeling a bit weird about this, I hesitantly got onto the table, but put the towel over my… rear. I heard belts buckle and clothes fold as I first saw Ashley's head come out from behind the drapes and then Liara's behind her. It seems everything was positioned so that the three of us could still see and speak to one another.

"We're ready," Ashley called out. I heard the door open and several pairs of footsteps entered. T'Kalis appeared in front of me, a clean shaven, strong human male in a white shirt and pants, and Liara with another Asari. White tank top and pants. "Well hel-lo," Ashley purred.

"My name's Tyler, Ms. Williams."

"And I am Taliata, Ms. T'Soni." T'Kalis then clapped her hands together twice.

"Let us begin." She then moved to my side, as the others moved to the sides of Ashley and Liara. I felt her hands on my shoulders. "A moment, please. I need to reorient myself with the suit to ensure I can still get to pressure points." she continued feeling around, giving the occasional squeeze. "Would you be willing to release some of the straps on your suit? It should loosen it while still keeping you fully sealed."

"Uh… ok…" I answered hesitantly. I reached my hands to my back and found the proper straps. Though instead of releasing them, I loosened them as much as they could.

"Thank you, this will make it much easier."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho… yeah," Ashley groaned, eyes shut, smiling.

"Goddess, I didn't even realize I had a knot there," Liara muttered. T'Kalis got to work.

"Oh, Keelah," I groaned. That felt good. That felt really good. She was squeezing and rubbing and pushing down on my shoulders and back muscles and it just… Ancestors, I don't even have words. The kinks and knots made by years of work on the Fleet. Ranging from delicate labor to simply carrying and moving supplies. All just melting away.

"Told you both you'd enjoy it," Ashley chuckled.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

I have never felt so relaxed in my life. I may not have been able to get the same hot towels and rocks that Ashley and Liara did, but, Keelah, do I feel good. Now we were on our way to get food. A restaurant not too far from the Spa, so we walked. With how I was feeling, I didn't even notice the occasional stare.

"I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Ashley," I chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. My sister Sarah actually had to convince me to get one myself a few years back."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Liara remarked.

"Sisters. I'm the oldest of four. Sarah's the youngest, the others are Abby and Lynn."

"That's a lot of siblings. Among the Fleet, even a single sibling is rare. That only ever happens either when there are twins, or a population decrease. So, I'm an only child," I stated.

"Sometimes I'd envy you. But, ah, I'd never trade my sisters for anything. What about you, Liara? You have any siblings?" Ashley asked.

"Not that I know of," Liara answered. "I'm Benezia's only child, I know that much. But I never knew my other mother. Another Asari. Maybe she's alive, maybe she's had children. I don't know."

"Fucking deadbeats," Ashley growled.

"Actually… Benezia was the one who left in their relationship," Liara murmured.

"Oh. Uh. Sorry. Foot in my mouth again," she chuckled awkwardly.

"What?" The Asari and I both asked.

"Human saying. Just means we said something stupid and makes things awkward," she explained quickly. We nodded understanding and continued the short remainder of the walk in silence.

"Alright, this place isn't anything fancy. Serves dextro and levo food, and I'm just looking for something simple anyway." The name of the restaurant read "Chili's," and it had some sort of red plant by it. Ashley held the door open for Liara and I.

"Hi, Welcome to Chili's," an almost brightly white young human greeted while his arms were apart from his body for some reason. "Oh. Er, I'm sorry, we have a strict no loitering policy. There's a shelter a few blocks away." He was staring right at me.

"Alright, fuck you, fuck this place. We're out. Fuck you," Ashley grumbled, before storming out the door, a hand grabbing my arm pulling her behind me, "They won't ever be getting business from me or my family ever again."

"I'm sorry, Ashley. I can just go back to the ship," I offered a bit sadly. I was feeling great before we walked through those doors, and then it just plummeted. I don't want to cause problems for Liara or Ashley.

"Hey, don't you dare talk like that, alright? Fuck those idiots for just assuming right off the bat you were a vagrant or some shit. Fuck em," I was surprised. Very.

"I'm… not sure what to say, Ashley…"

"Well, let me say that I'm sorry. I know I wasn't exactly… different than that guy at first. I was wrong. You're a good woman, and I'm glad to know you. Hm, you even remind me of Sarah a lot. In fact…" Ashley shuffled her feet, surprisingly, being a bit awkward, "I think I've got another two sisters with me right now." I couldn't help but give her a slight smile behind the mask.

"Thank you, Ashley."

"Yes, thank you," Liara gave her own smile.

"Look, I know I'm not that great with sappy shit. So, why don't we find a different place. Alright?" Liara and I nodded, and Ashley ran a search on her Omni-tool. A few minutes later, she had a new destination for us.

A couple hours later, after getting a meal at a local restaurant, one that was surprisingly good, Ashley, Liara, and I were at a bar. No one was paying us much heed.

"So, what do you all think of the others?" Ashley asked.

"The crew?" Liara clarified.

"Yeah," Ashley nursed her drink. "Wrex, Kaidan, Garrus, Shepard. Even Joker."

"I haven't spoken much with Joker. He seems odd to me," Liara mused.

"He's the standard smartass. Only thing really odd about him is the whole brittle bone thing," Ashley reassured.

"He's passionate about his ship, and a skilled pilot. He would fit in well in the Migrant Fleet. I can respect him," I added.

"So, Wrex seems to have a soft spot for you, Tali. Any idea why?" Ashley asked, changing the person of interest.

"I do remember him saying something about me having a… fire, early on. He's been like a mentor. Teaching me things he knows, giving me advice. Like Shepard."

"I haven't really talked with him much. Not one on one, at any rate. He keeps his distance," Ashley mused.

"Perhaps it is a habit formed from his years as a merc. He likely does not like to get attached to the crew he works with. Either for risk of death or needing to leave them eventually," Liara suggested.

"Makes sense. Couldn't really blame him for that. Must mean he sees something in you, Tali. If he's still going out of his way to help you. He sure as hell knows how to fight though. Hope I never end up pissing him off," Ashley ended with a chuckle.

"He is certainly a ferocious fighter," Liara nodded.

"Very. So… Garrus."

"I'm not sure, in all honesty. I still remember things he said early on, insensitive and insulting things. But… he also seems to be changing? I don't know," I shrugged.

"I'm afraid I haven't had many conversations with him. Is it possible for one to seem very Turian, yet, at the same time, different?" Liara asked.

"Maybe. He's got his moral code he sticks by through and through, like most Turians. It just seems to be a bit different than them. That being said, he's got a rapport with the Commander. And I've heard them talk down by the Mako from time to time. I think Shepard's been mentoring him. Changing him," Ashley mused. "The Garrus who first signed on would have shot Saleon then and there. But now, as you all saw…" Liara and I nodded. It made sense. "So, Kaidan."

"He's nice. And to have gone through what he has, yet still come out the way he has shows a lot of his character. Very respectable. A man of… virtue," I answered.

"I agree. He helped me feel welcome when I first came aboard."

"Think he's cute? I've seen him making googly eyes at you, T'Soni," Ashley chuckled. Liara's cheeks went dark blue, a blush.

"Are you sure? I believe he's just been being nice," she was flustered. Ashley smirked.

"Girl, I have three sisters. You know how many boyfriends I've had to meet? I know the difference between googly eyes, and not. A man can be nice and trying to be friendly while still making those eyes, you know. Speaking of Googly eyes…" Ashley's smirk grew wider and she looked at me. Liara seemed relieved the focus was taken off her, but was just as confused as I was. "You and Shepard trade quite a few."

"W-what? No, no, no. What do you mean?" I stuttered.

"Yyyep, that confirms it," Ashley chuckled.

"He's been very nice to me yes, but… what?"

"Come on, Tali. He is one _hot_ piece of ass. He is a hunk. You know it, Liara knows it, I know it,"

"Wait, why am I being brought into this?" Liara was now just as flustered.

"Because I see the way you look at him too. Look, Tali, no need to be embarrassed. You know, I tried hitting on him a while back, right? Sure, it wasn't anything direct, but I could tell he understood," she tried to reassure.

"Uh… well… I might have tried as well. And been direct. I did not succeed either," Liara revealed.

"How direct?"

"I said I had feelings for him and said I thought he did too. I asked if I was wrong," Liara rubbed her arm.

"Ooooooh, yeah, you need some lessons," Ashley patted Liara on the shoulder. "Fortunately, you have me. Just wait for it to be a time when I'm not tipsy, alright? Anyways, Tali, I think you got it, girl. He's turned down Liara and I, and I think he's got the hots for you. Go on, go for it! He's still friendly with both of us, so what have you got to lose?"

Keelah, he really turned down both Ashley, and Liara? Turned down another Human woman, and an Asari? It's more likely that he just prefers men then him… liking me. He doesn't even know what I look like! I have the suit, the mask, and I have a duty to the fleet… I… I don't know…

"Uh… I don't know. I mean… I guess… he is handsome… and strong… and nice and kindandcaringandsmartand… Keelah!" I covered my visor with my hands, wishing I could just vanish. I felt all… warm and tingly.

"Called it!" Ashley laughed.

"I can't ask him! Why would he possibly feel the same! I'm a Quarian, trapped in my suit! It's just… why?!" I questioned. Ashley put a hand on my shoulder and shook me a little.

"Tali, come on, he's clearly not shallow like that. Not at all. Besides, have you seen your figure? Perfect. Hourglass. Figure. I wish I had curves like you do," she chuckled. "But, seriously, come on. Haven't you ever noticed that when he's pissed the hell off, or anxious, or… whatever, you go right up to him, put a hand on his shoulder, and he calms right down? That is some cheesy romance novel kind of shit. And he doesn't hesitate to do the same when you're in a bad spot!" I mean… I guess I can see it… but… I can't just abandon the fleet. Even in some… weird, parallel universe where he does feel the same, it would only cause pain when I have to leave for the fleet. So, I should save both of us of any of that pain altogether. I can't breathe a word of it.

"Please, can we just drop it?" I requested. Ashley lost her smile, but gave my shoulder one more squeeze.

"Yeah, alright, sorry. I got a bit carried away there. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

Garrus, Wrex, Kaidan, and even Joker were already on their way to a bar that I'd be joining them at soon. Joker was just in a wheelchair given the distance. Easier for him than just using a cane. It was an automated wheelchair that he directed around with a little joystick by the right armrest. Before joining them, I wanted to go see Barla Von and check into my account. I had already checked into the receptionist, but he was in the middle of a call. Fortunately, I wasn't waiting long.

"Hello, Commander. Apologies for the wait," Barla greeted. Taking the usual deep Volus breaths.

"It's fine, Barla. I do after all tend to come here unannounced," I remarked. "So, how am I doing?" Barla just chuckled and turned his monitor around. My eyes went wide, and I think my jaw hit the floor.

"Holy fucking shit. I'm a motherfucking millionaire."

"That you are, Commander. And I've taken the liberty of transferring half of the money to your personal account. That's approximately seven and a half million credits ready for spending. The rest shall remain in the account used for investment purposes, unless of course you wish to withdraw any of it. Though of course, my own cut will need to be deducted.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Barla. This is… hell, it's amazing. I mean, I'm set. At this rate, and given I don't exactly spend much anyway, yeah. I'm set," I chuckled. "So, purchase those Spectre weapons at C-Sec?"

"Before you do that, Commander, I've heard from my other clients that the grand prize of an upcoming competition at Pinnacle station is a full set of the latest Spectre grade weapons. A sniper, an Assault rifle, a pistol, and a shotgun. While you could still comfortable spend this money, of course, it's always wise to save as much as one can," Barla suggested.

"You have a point. Alright, I'll try the competition and go from there. I won't take up any more of your time. Thanks again, Barla."

"Of course, Commander. It's my pleasure."

Within half an hour, I had taken a cab and was entering the bar the others were waiting for me at. A place Garrus recommended and knew to be reputable. C-Sec officers apparently favored it after their shifts. The group was sitting at a table and currently, a server was taking their orders. Drinks, most likely, as we hadn't been separated that long.

"Oh, hold on, here comes the last of our group. Shepard, want a drink?" Kaidan called out. I answered as I took my seat.

"Uh, water to start, I'll go over the menu," I answered. The waitress nodded and left.

"So, what were you up to, fearless leader?" Joker questioned with a smirk.

"Checking on the account Barla Von has been helping me with," I answered casually. Wrex began chuckling.

"Oh? And what's it at?" Joker tried to lead on.

"You're still paying for your own drinks, jackass," I laughed. Joker put a hand to his chest, feigning insult.

"I can't believe you'd ever think I'd suggest otherwise, Shepard. How could you?"

"Do you want me to hack your wheelchair?" I threatened with a chuckle and smile.

"How the hell can you hack a wheelchair? Pretty sure that shits a closed system. It's got the controls here, and that's it!" Joker exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?" I then reached over and slammed the joystick on his wheelchair back and the wheelchair, him in it, lurched back about a foot. Taking Joker by surprise and the act of him trying to recover almost made him and the chair flip over onto its back. Everyone at the table burst into laughter as Joker rolled himself back into place.

"And I thought I was the smartass," Joker chuckled.

"Commander Shepard, master hacker," Kaidan joked.

"None can surpass my technological mastery. All your passwords are belong to me," I laughed.

"You know I could probably just punch you in the shoulder for payback," Joker warned.

"What, and break your hand in the process? You punch my shoulder I break your leg with a poke," I was still smirking. Everyone at the table just continued to chuckle.

"You know I bet the girls are having a much friendlier conversation. Maybe I should have gone with them instead. Then I'd at least be getting some respect."

"Uh huh. Sure, that's the only reason," Kaidan teased. The waitress returned with our drinks.

"Oh shit, I forgot," I immediately opened up the menu, while she was still passing out the drinks. Found the beers, found a decent one, ordered it. I was surprised to see another server come by with two bowls of tortilla chips for us to snack on. Well, not Garrus.

"Would you like some Dextro chips, sir? They're complementary," the server offered.

"Er, yeah, sure. I'll have some," Garrus nodded.

"I already know this is going to end up being my meal. I don't have any self-control," Joker remarked, already munching on a chip. I took one, chuckling. Nice and salty. Just what it needs for you to never stop shoving them in your mouth. "So, since they're not around, we have some pretty hot girls on the crew, huh?"

"There's that lack of self-control," Garrus chuckled.

"It's true though. Ashley, Liara, hell, Tali too."

"I'll admit I think T'Soni's quite the looker. Smart too, good person," Kaidan remarked.

"You know, I'd bet the girls are or at least will be having a similar conversation," I mused. Garrus and Wrex chuckled.

"Probably right," Kaidan shrugged. "But don't act like you aren't thinking the same with Tali."

Unfortunately, I was taking a sip of my water as he said that. And the server had just approached with my beer. In a spray, I spit some of the water out onto the table, absentmindedly taking a napkin to wipe it up. Joker, Garrus, and Wrex were bursting with laughter, Kaidan looking quite smug.

"What?!"

"Look, Shepard, I think we've all noticed. Whenever you're… not in a great place, she just puts a hand on your shoulder, and you calm right on down. In the mess, you get a little smile when she walks up. You tend to just keep an eye on her. I'm not exactly the best when it comes to reading people, but the way you look at her is pretty damn similar to how I looked at Rahna so long ago... Damn, was that really me who said that?" Kaidan ended quietly, chuckling at himself.

"You know this was starting to be like a regular Krogan conversation. Now it's just sappy shit," Wrex rumbled with light laughter.

"But, seriously. I'm not the only one who notices it, right?" Kaidan tried to reaffirm.

"I'm not on the ground team, so I wouldn't notice," Joker shrugged.

"Hm… I suppose. I don't really pay attention to that though," Garrus added.

"Look, come on, can we just drop it? Seriously."

"Yeah. Sorry, Shepard," Kaidan answered before Joker could open his mouth.

The server came back. Time to think about food.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: #NotSponsored. Lol. Yeah I included Chili's literally so I could just meme a little with the "Hi welcome to chili's bit." why I described the greeter as such a pasty white guy. And Uber? Yeah I don't really see that dying out any time soon. Makes sense it would carry on to the Citadel. Also the talk with Barla Von shows pretty much the only reason I want to include anything with Pinnacle Station. There's a little more to it specifically, but I ain't saying shit yet.**


	30. Brandy

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next chapter will be the little pinnacle endeavor I have planned, and then Virmire. Pretty damn straight forward from there. Will have one or two post ME1 chapters, and then, well… you already know. Anyways, hope you enjoy. Got some Drunk Tali for ya!**

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Your shoulder is healing nicely, John. I'm going to remove some of the padding and bracing, but not all, not yet. You'll be able to use your arm a little, but it should still be a bit tender. Fragile," Chakwas warned.

"And when should I be clear for action?" I asked.

"Soon. But I'd rather take another look at your shoulder by the end of the day first. If I like what I see, I suppose tomorrow," she answered.

"Sounds good. Thanks doc." She nodded and got to work on removing some of the padding and bracing. Before long, the parts she wanted off, were off, and I gently tested my arm. I can move it forwards, and inwards a little. So, I can eat with it. Drink with it. "The wonders of modern medicine, eh?"

"Indeed. Still, the wound itself wasn't particularly nasty. It's not as if your shoulder blade broke entirely, it got a hole and damaged some muscle. All we really need to do is close the hole, make sure everything is reattached, and then accelerate cell growth. That's what the mixture of medicines I used during the procedure did," the doc explained. "Now, go on. Don't keep the others waiting."

"You know you could join us if you want," I offered.

"Oh, don't worry, John. You don't need this old woman trying to join in with the youngsters," she chuckled.

"Afraid we might get on your lawn?"

"Do you want me to break your shoulder again?" she warned with a smirk and hands on her hips.

"That's a yes," I laughed.

"Shut it," she rolled her eyes, chuckling. I took my leave of the good doctor, and met with the others just outside the ship.

"How's the shoulder?" Tali asked.

"Chakwas took some of the padding and bracing off, so, that alone is good. Says I'm clear for duty tomorrow if it's all still good by the end of the day," I answered.

"That is if there is any action in the first place," Ashley joked.

"Actually, I think if I'm clear for duty tomorrow we're gonna head out to a place called Pinnacle station. It's basically a Spectre training ground with a combat sim. There's going to be a competition and we could win a set of Spectre grade weapons," I informed. Garrus' mandibles flared slightly. Interested.

"I've heard of Pinnacle station. Used to be a command center during the Rebellions. Then it got turned into a training facility for Council operatives."

"Fuck it, could be fun," Wrex shrugged.

"So! Who's hungry?" Joker exclaimed.

"You know, I wonder how it is that someone who barely moves can always be so hungry yet not a fatass," Kaidan remarked.

"Fucked if I know. Fucked if I care honestly," Joker smirked.

"Fair enough," Kaidan chuckled.

"Alright, calling the cab…" I trailed off as I arranged for a van sized cab to transport us to a restaurant we picked out earlier. Neither the wait or the ride took long, and we were seated before we knew it.

"Can I get you any drinks?" the waiter asked. Everyone was getting alcohol. Then it came to Tali's turn.

"I'll have a filtered wate-" she began.

"Boooooooooo," we smirked.

"Come on, Tali. Try one, you might like it," I reassured.

"Hm… alright, fine," Tali chuckled.

"Try a brandy," Garrus suggested.

"Alright, I'll try that then," Tali stated. The waiter nodded and left.

"Just be careful, a brandy is pretty strong," Kaidan warned.

"Thank you. I'll try."

"So, Tali, the other day you mentioned Quarians still had entertainers like singers and dancers. Do you have any poets?" Ashley questioned.

"We do, and still have some left over from before the war. Unfortunately, I tend to not pay much attention to them. The closest Quarians get to happy stories these days, is bitter sweetness. Something that makes Fleet life bearable, for example. Yet almost always the lingering element of loss and hardship. Rarely is a Quarian truly happy or content. It gets quite depressing," Tali explained. Once again, my heart went out to her and her people. Every element of their everyday lives has some reminder or other that they lost a home world.

"Oh… sorry," Ashley rubbed her shoulder awkwardly.

"It's not your fault. Why don't you tell me about human poems instead?" she suggested to try and lighten the mood. Ashley then lit up.

"Didn't know you were into poetry, Williams," I remarked.

"Just because I can take a head off at a hundred yards doesn't mean I don't enjoy sensitive things, skipper," she smirked. "Anyways. Human poetry's all over the place. Sometimes revolves around large world events and problems, sometimes around things in the author's personal life. Sometimes the landscape, sometimes something abstract. I sure as hell can't summarize it all in a few words. I still remember my old man's favorite poem by heart. It's called Ulysses, by a man called Tennyson. The whole thing is pretty long, but here's a part of it. 'I cannot rest from travel, I will drink life to the lees; all times I have enjoyed greatly, both with those that loved me; and alone. For always roaming with a hungry heart, much have I seen and known; cities of men and manners, climates, councils, governments.'"

"Hm, it's pretty," Tali tilted her head to the side and back, slightly. Thinking. Letting it soak in. "Does your father still like it?"

"I hope so," Ashley chuckled. "Would make it damn embarrassing if he didn't since I still read it to his grave every year."

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it, Tali. It was a few years back, I'm good. He's with God now."

"Humans our monotheistic?" Tali asked.

"I am. A few other religions are. One doesn't have any actual gods, and plenty have whole Pantheons. Generally, it seems more and more humans don't believe," Ashley shrugged.

"Yes, my people used to have Ancestor worship, but we still hold great respect for them in our society today. After all, none of my people would be alive if our ancestors had not founded the Migrant Fleet, or other, 'younger' Ancestors for keeping it intact. Before the Geth rebelled, my people were toying with transhumanism as a part of this worship." I interrupted with a chuckle.

"What?" Tali asked, tilting her head again.

"Just a little quirk with the translators. When you said, transhumanism." I rightly assumed it came back as the regular Quarian word. "Kaidan, Ashley, Joker, and I heard trans, and then, human… ism," I gave a proper space between the words so that the translators wouldn't translate. "Just made me chuckle, as you obviously would never have called something like that human."

"Heh, yeah, I heard the same kind of thing," Garrus smirked.

"I did as well. It's interesting, what we take for granted, no?" Liara asked.

"Alright, alright, let the lady continue her story. Tali?"

"It's fine," I think she was smiling under that mask. I bet it's a beautiful-no. Shut it. Stop it. "Anyways, we would imprint the personality of an individual onto something much like a VI. Though it was still limited and could not even be close to considered a true copy. We were continuously trying to develop more and more sophisticated personality imprints, with the end goal of having the wisdom of the Ancestors live on forever in a truly intelligent imprint. It would not even be an Artificial intelligence, but a… copied one, for lack of better word. Unfortunately, when the Geth did rebel, those archives were destroyed," Tali explained.

"I wonder if the Quarians would ever have gone beyond that. Instead of just an imprint for after they died, just uploading their consciousness itself into a machine," Kaidan mused.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. We still valued, and do value, many things about organic life. Things that a synthetic body just couldn't replicate," Tali mused.

"Well, since we're still on the topic of religions, and I'm curious, what about Asari, Liara? I've heard you cry out to 'The Goddess,' a few times," Ashley questioned.

"Didn't know we were at church," Joker teased. Ignoring him, Liara began.

"That's in reference to the Goddess Athame. Her religion still has some devout followers, but it's more of a lingering cultural remnant than a belief I and many others share. However, most Asari do believe in Siari. Siarists perceive the Universe as one great consciousness, and that individuals are all part of the common whole. When one dies, they simply return their spiritual essence to it. This belief became rather popular once it was discovered that Asari could meld with other sentient species to still produce offspring. It may well also be what has encouraged interspecies relationships among my people, and inadvertently made many Asari believe that purebloods such as myself, are lesser." The waiter returned, and passed around the drinks. Tali eyed the sealed bottle containing her sterilized drink, and fiddled with the 'straw' that would enter her helmet. She attached it to a port within, and I saw the straw change its tint as liquid was sucked through. Tali coughed, and a fist went over her chest.

"Heh. Puts some hair on your chest, eh?" Kaidan chuckled.

"That's a human saying? Hmph. Try Ryncol. If you survive, it'll put chest on your chest," Wrex remarked. Tali gave another cough.

"I didn't expect the burning in my throat. But I feel… warm?" Tali stated. She then hesitantly tried another sip. "Oh. Now it's not so bad. I like it." We turned our attention away from the Quarian, trying to get back on track.

"So, where were we? Were you finished, Liara?" I asked.

"Yes, I was," she nodded.

"So, Garrus. What about you and your spirits?" Ashley questioned.

"Er, sure. I'm no priest, but I can try. Spirits are tied to a group or an area. Every military unit believes it has a spirit linked to that unit, which embodies the honor and courage displayed by that unit. A city's spirit encompasses the accomplishments and industry of its residents. A landscape or ancient tree's spirit encompasses its beauty. They're neither good or evil, can't affect the physical world, but they can inspire people. A Turian whose loyalty is tested could commune with the spirit of his unit, or an artist could commune with the spirit of an area to be inspired for his artwork," Garrus explained. "But the Hierarchy doesn't give a damn what anyone believes so long as they can still do their duties just fine. Lot of Turians are Siarists like Asari, and since meeting Humans, some have even taken up something called… Confucianism and… what's it called? Right, Buddhism."

"Huh. Who would have thought?" Ashley remarked, surprised.

"Confucius say," Joker mocked, giving himself an accent. I noticed Tali was still drinking.

"Do Krogan have any beliefs, Wrex?" Kaidan asked.

"What, beyond the ancient shit we stopped believing around the time we nuked ourselves? Not really. Respect the dead, respect the ancestors. When you die, the void waits. If you're lucky, a great warrior, and I mean, a _great_ warrior, you go to Kruban. A paradise," he replied, not too interested. And took a swig of his Ryncol.

"Ah, like Valhalla, then," I nodded. "Another warrior paradise in Norse mythology. Let's see. After a battle, the king of the Aesir gods, Odin, he and his Valkyries would search the battlefield for the worthy dead from each side. The chosen, who fought with honor and glory and valor, would go to Valhalla. They would spend their days drinking and feasting and fucking. And I think they could also battle eternally without true death whenever they wanted."

"Sounds fun," Wrex smirked.

"I dunno about you, Commander. But thinking about Norse Mythology brings only one word to mind," Joker remarked. He then cleared his throat. " _ **BOY!**_ " He gave himself as gruff a voice as possible. I knew it was coming, but still put my head down in my hand as I sputtered and laughed.

"Shut the fuck up… _head_." I gave myself the same gruff voice.

"Finally! Someone finally fucking gets my old school references!" Joker exclaimed.

"If I could have more of this in Valhalla… it wouldn't be so bad," Tali giggled. Taking another sip. "Awww…. It's all gone…" she seemed to pout.

"Is it really already making her like that?" Ashley chuckled.

"Like I said. Turians make Brandy pretty strong," Garrus shrugged. The waiter returned.

"Oh! Oh! Could I get some more of this brandy please!" Tali requested, almost bouncing on her seat.

"Of course. Everyone know what they want to eat?" he asked. Wrex ordered what sounded like would essentially be a slab of meat, Garrus something called Louza, Liara got… a salad. Tali, a name I couldn't quite make out. Kaidan was getting burger and fries, as was I, and Ashley ordered chicken. Good meals all around.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We were on our way to Flux so that we could free up a table for people who wanted a table to eat. We should be close now.

"Commander Shepard! Commander! Remember me?" a man ran up, beaming. A blonde man, and one I had almost forgotten about. "I have an idea and wanted to run it by you."

"Uh, Conrad, I'm…" I glanced back at the team. Most of them were smirking. And Tali was not standing straight. "Busy, right now…"

"Oh, it'll only take a moment," he tried to reassure. Before I could stop him, he continued. "With so many Human colonies being attacked, I'm not sure that one Spectre is enough." Dedicate another Spectre to it, or even another one? Not likely to happen but not a terrible idea.

"What if, you signed me on as another Spectre?"

I heard snorting from the crew behind me. And Tali giggling and hiccupping. He didn't realize.

"Conrad… you're not even a soldier." I struggled not to face palm.

"So? I'd make a great Spectre! I'd be right there with you, showing the Council what humanity is capable of! I want to be right there with you, fighting the good fight! Like you did on Elysium during the blitz!" Don't explode, John. Don't explode, John. He's just a civvie who doesn't know better. I took a deep breath. Ok… what can I pull out of my ass to get him to just go? Something that doesn't make him do something stupid. Or enlist. He is not at all capable. Ok, think. Just, start talking, and let other bullshit pour out.

"There's… another fight that needs you, Conrad." Ok, that's an ok start. Where can I go from there?

"What? What do you mean?" he asked. Though I wasn't paying much attention. Ok, let's try this.

"You know what keeps me going out there? Knowing people back home are keeping Humanity strong. Knowing people back home are happy. That gives me something to fight for." Ok, that's not a complete lie. It's a reason, I suppose. But mostly I think I keep going for mom and dad, and because the Alliance is frankly all I know. Don't know what I'd do without them.

"Oh… you… you're right," he slumped a little. "I just got so caught up in all of it. I wanted to help." Ok. Good. "I'll go home. Thanks for setting me straight," he waved and walked off, a bit awkwardly, embarrassed.

"You know, I never actually believed people were like that. I don't know what to make of being wrong," Kaidan chuckled.

"I don't even see him as a soldier. Probably screams whenever an insect is in the same room," Ashley joked. Tali walked close to me, looking right up into my face with an odd look.

"What you said…" she began, a bit slurred. And then a three fingered hand was splayed across my face. "Was sweet." The hand squeezed and shook my face a little. I gently grabbed her wrist, and she squeezed my face two more times. I pulled it away. She burst into some drunken laughter.

"I'm not sure what to make of what just happened. And I don't just mean Conrad," I murmured.

"Your face just looks so squishy," Tali harrumphed. She then took both hands and… pinched my cheeks. Shaking them again.

"Tali, you're cut off."

"Awwww, you're no fun," she pouted, crossing arms over her chest.

She is absolutely goddamn adorable.

We continued walking towards Flux, but there was a group of Civilians in the plaza outside. All of them Human, most holding signs.

"Earth first!" a few shouted.

"Terra fucking Firma," Ashley growled. "I get standing for Human independence and sovereignty, and that's what it was at first. Now it's just a bunch of racists."

"Let's just ignore them," I suggested.

"Commander Shepard! A moment, please," a man in a suit and tie approached. He had slightly darker skin and short, black hair. Well, too late now.

"Yes?" I raised a brow.

"Charles Saracino, it's an honor to speak with you," he held out a hand. I didn't accept.

"What's this all about?" He withdrew the hand. "I'm of the Terra Firma party. We're making our voices heard by the Alien appeasers here, marking the end of the first contact war. It was a bit unfortunate we had to postpone the protest, but here we are." he explained. I glanced back at my team.

"You see who I'm with. I'm not interested in being preached to. I was just looking to go have some drinks with my friends."

"Then I won't take up much of your time." The crowd behind him got silent and watched. Causing many of the bystanders not involved to slow or stop to watch what was going on. "Can I count on your support in the next election?" The man seemed friendly enough. And more so than some of those behind them.

"Why are you even marking it with a protest?"

"It taught us a lesson. If we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else will." Some of the protesters echoed or cheered it.

"That's a lesson Humanity has never needed to learn. We've always been good at that and always will. From my perspective, the First Contact war taught us that we aren't alone in the Galaxy, and that we should be careful not to claim territory from another species, whether or not we know they're there, and that the other life has opinions as well."

"Perhaps, Commander. But if they feel free to express their opinions at gunpoint, shouldn't we?"

"When necessary. But you're just looking for a reason," Ashley growled.

"I disagree. We have a backlog of grievances the aliens have ignored. Starting with Shanxi," Charles argued.

"Ignored? We've received reparations for Shanxi. More than once, I might add. And what grievances beyond that?" I questioned.

"You should know well, Commander. The blitz is a prime example." My brows furrowed.

"That was the damn Batarians. And other mercs and slavers. Not the Council races. Last I checked, the Batarians pulled out of the Citadel once they stopped getting their way. Which was immediately with us in the picture. The Council sided with us, and you're looking at the first Human Spectre," I countered.

"Still, our values need to be defended and respected."

"Which they are," I butted in. He took a deep breath through his nose.

"Look, Commander. Above all, Terra Firma's core value is that Earth must stand firm against alien influence. Politically, culturally, and in the worst cases, militarily."

"That, in and of itself, isn't a bad value. But consider again that after all this time, the Asari still have their culture. The Salarians still have their culture. The Turians still have their culture. So do the Hanar, Drell, Volus, Elcor, Krogan, and the Quarians," I listed off. "Clearly, our culture isn't at risk either. Especially with how many different cultures we have as it is."

"Not to mention that most of your supporters are just racists. And you sure as hell don't curb that BS," Ashley muttered.

"I cannot deny that some of our supporters have extreme views. But we are also supported by professionals and experts. Economists, sociologists, and medical professionals. As for the more extreme ones, we respect their right to freedom of speech."

"That doesn't mean you can't denounce those views," I countered. "I don't support your platform. I believe we need to work closely and peacefully with the other species. As you can see by my multi-species crew I count amongst my closest friends."

"Awwwwww. Thank you Shepaaaaardd…" Tali cooed, still drunk. She staggered over, nearly falling over but her arms landed on my shoulders, keeping her upright as her head also rested on my shoulder. It felt… nice.

"Thank you Tali. Garrus, mind holding her steady for a moment while I wrap this up?" I requested. Garrus just lifted her by the shoulders and brought her back, as she staggered, and he helped her stand straight.

"We've already had some drinks. And she's had her first ever," I remarked. "So. Anything else?"

"I suppose it would be pointless to ask for your official support in my campaign for an office?"

"You'd be correct. I respect your right to have an opinion, but I don't respect the opinion you have. Goodbye." I turned to rejoin the group and the crowd slowly seemed to resume what it was up to. "Come on, let's get you seated, Tali," I urged.


	31. The Pinnacle

**Commander John Shepard**

We weren't far out from Pinnacle Station now. Not like it was far off from the main relay network anyway. And we had all gotten a good night's sleep. Tali had drunkenly tried to get me onto the dance floor, but after a single failed tug, she just collapsed onto the seat and passed out. Again, adorable.

Needless to say, I think we all had a good time. And were all a bit closer.

Tali was, of course, hungover, but her suit helped her get the meds. She had asked just what had happened, and tried to apologize several times over to me for her actions. Apologies I just laughed off.

Joker gave the alert we were coming out of FTL, a bit quieter than normal, I might add, and I went to go watch from the cockpit. The asteroid the station was built into was one that had been caught in the orbit of one of the system's planets some time ago. Whether artificially, or coincidentally, I couldn't say. Using my clearance, Joker got us directed to a hangar. From the surface, the station didn't seem large or expansive at all. A few armored structures jutting out of the rock, with the hangar opening for us. A hangar larger than the Normandy. That alone gave a good hint as to just how large the station truly is. It's likely that this asteroid barely has any asteroid left. Just the surface while the interior is a whole network of tunnels and structures and who knows what else that's all being utilized.

Slowly, Joker guided the ship into the hangar. The doors closed behind us. It was a very large room, and well lit. Plenty of bodies moving around. Most of the ships were smaller shuttles or cargo ships, but there was the occasional fighter and even bomber. Lights along the ceiling and floor guided the Normandy to a larger zone clear of any blockage. The landing gear was extended, and the Normandy set down. My ship was still small enough to warrant landing gear.

"I'm getting serious Yavin 4 vibes here, Shepard," Joker chuckled.

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing," I smirked.

"I'll tell ya one thing. If there's a Death Star around the corner, I'm not gonna be the idiot who turns off the targeting computer," Joker joked. He got a laugh out of me for that.

"That's sure as hell one way to end up as the biggest douche in the rebellion. To turn it off, then miss."

"Agreed. Alright, you and the others go ahead and get shot at by a computer. Am I clear to go see if they have a bar?"

"Sure, just don't have too much. No telling if we'll get a call to bail or not," I warned.

"Yeah I'm not exactly looking for a second hangover in a row," Joker remarked. I chuckled again and made my way down to the cargo hold. We were already suited up. When I got down there, the cargo ramp was also open, the ground team waiting.

"So, where do we begin, Shepard," Garrus asked.

"One sec," I answered. I then contacted the station's VI.

"Welcome to Pinnacle Station… Spectre," the VI paused while it checked my credentials. "How can I help you?"

"Where do I go for the competition and the combat simulator?"

"Go to the Command Center five on sublevel seven. The Combat simulator is adjacent to it. In addition, Admiral Ahern has requested to speak with you. Is there anything else, Spectre?" the VI asked.

"Upload a directory to my Omni-tool so I can get around for the duration of my stay."

"Of course. User alert. The directory will be deleted upon departure by the station's systems as per the security protocols. Have a nice day."

"Alright, I'll go see what Ahern wants, you can all hang out by the sim," I stated. Still, they followed me, as it was all along the same route. I was certainly surprised to hear that a human Admiral was the one in charge of Pinnacle Station, but I suppose that's something I might be able to ask him about later. After the elevator brought us down to the proper level, we emerged to a small, narrow corridor with four Turian guards. One in each corner.

"Isn't that Commander Shepard? The Human Spectre?" One of the Turians whispered. Just loud enough I could still hear it. Another Turian, one in some thicker armor, and an insignia marking him as the Guard Captain, was a bit louder. He had a blue Colony marking, a single, thick line along the middle of his face. Horizontally going across and following the plate. The bottom of it, just over his mouth, did however seem to "drip" like either wet paint running, or teeth.

"Whatever," he scoffed. "Spectre or no, it's always fun to see humans get pummeled in the simulator. Hey! You, what are you doing wasting your time with this human? You can do better than him."

"Never judge a potential rival by their appearance, Captain. You haven't seen the Commander in action. I'm skeptical anyone could do better than to be part of his team," Garrus countered as we walked past. The Guard Captain scoffed again. While in turn, my eyes widened a bit, and I turned back to Garrus with a grin. As soon as the door behind us closed, and we were fully within the Command Center, I spoke.

"High praise, Garrus. Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me after we send his jaw to the floor by winning the competition," Garrus shrugged. There were terminals and seats lining the center, all housing ensigns and officers working. It's likely their jobs are relatively easy. Manager kind of work. Making sure whatever they oversee gets done and done right. To the left, was a raised platform, similar to that on the Normandy's CIC with the Galaxy map. Overlooking a lower level with more officers. On the platform stood a Human in uniform, his back turned to us. To the right of the lower area, a sign read "combat sim" with an arrow pointing through the door. I gestured for the others to go ahead and approach the Admiral. He must have heard me approach. Not like combat boots are all that quiet on metal. Least, not when you're not trying to be quiet.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. Welcome to Pinnacle Station. I'm Admiral Tadius Ahern," he reached a hand out. "I've heard a lot about you from Hackett and Anderson."

"Good to meet you, sir." I shook the hand.

"I trust you're here for the Competition?" I nodded in response. "Thought so. You're not the first Spectre to arrive, a few others have already gotten their scores in and left, some still working through, and some waiting to see. Some haven't, and probably won't, arrive. That being said, Spectres aren't the only operatives participating, but the Council won't let them get their hands on Spectre weapons. Their prize will instead be candidacy and credits. Some Alliance operatives, some Asari Huntresses, Salarian STG, Turian Blackwatch, mostly. Though anyone already stationed here is free to try their hand. Even have a Krogan having fun in there," Ahern remarked. "Whenever you're ready, go ahead and check in with Ochren by the sim. He'll set you up, answer any questions about it. Designed the thing too."

"Sounds good sir. If you don't mind me asking, how did a Human Admiral take Command of a Council, and mostly Turian, training facility?"

"Most of the same reasons you're a Spectre. Diplomacy. I got a good service record of churning out great soldiers from the Fleet I used to Command. Age came around, and the Alliance preferred to have someone younger in my place. But I hate desk jobs, and I sure as hell don't plan on retiring. Strings were pulled, and they let me have a shot here. Turians give their advice, and I listen on occasion. They haven't complained so far... Alright, you go ahead, get with your team, get ready for the simulator. I'll be watching. Don't disappoint." I gave the Admiral a nod, and made my way down to re-join my team. We were deep in the rock, so there were no viewports to the outside, but the wall Ahern was originally looking at was in fact a large vidscreen. One currently set to view the ringed planet the station was in orbit around. It blocked out all but a sliver of the sun.

I passed through the doors and found myself in a lounge of sorts. Two tables, vid screens, scoreboards, weapon lockers, a stocked bar. Plenty of Turians, Asari, Salarians, and a few humans inside.

"So you're the one chasing Saren, huh?" one of the Turians remarked. His armor was mostly white with some teal, and his colony markings were some small lines on the sides of his face, but the more prominent ones were thinner longer lines that both intersected those, and went over his eyes to intersect at the forehead. He was still leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, I am."

"Hm," his mandibles flared. "Name's Avitus Rix. Spectre, but not for much longer. Saren was the one who recruited me." I tensed. There were a lot of eyes on me, and I wasn't eager to have my first meeting with other Spectres result in a fight.

"Sorry to hear that," I answered briefly

"Not your fault," Avitus shrugged. "He killed Nihlus. He betrayed us and the Galaxy. Whatever we thought of him before? Well… not anymore." Ok, that's good. I can ease up a bit.

"Said you won't be a Spectre for much longer. Why's that?" I asked.

"I knew Saren. Least, I thought I did. Sure, he wasn't exactly a stand-up guy before, but this? I don't like it. If even Arterius can find something out there that makes him snap? I want out before I snap too," Rix answered. Hm, chilling.

"So he's running away to Andromeda with that buddy of his, Barro," an Asari with her feet resting on a table remarked. She had small purple lines around the outside of her face.

"The Andromeda Initiative? That heading out soon?" I remarked. I had heard about it, but hadn't paid much attention. I wanted to stay here.

"If you can call two years or so soon," Avitus shrugged. "But yeah, sounds like a good, fresh start."

"Name's Tela Vasir, by the way, Shepard." the Asari greeted.

"And I'm Jondum Bau," a Salarian stood and introduced himself. "Another Spectre, like Vasir and Rix. Avitus, it's a shame I'm getting late in my years, else I'd consider going as well. So many new sights that I just wouldn't live long enough to appreciate," he mused.

"You two are the sappiest Spectres in the history of the group," Vasir rolled her eyes, though still with a smirk. "Least I still know the two of you can kick ass. Shepard, go get your first round in. I want to see how you stack up."

"Good luck, Shepard," Rix and Bau added as I made my way towards my team and Ochren. I made my way up behind the Tech officer's seat, and he didn't even turn his head to know who I was.

"So, you must be the famous Commander Shepard," he began sarcastically. "I'm tech specialist Alud Ochren. Lead programmer on the combat simulator. Do you need something? I'm sure I only have a few minutes before some idiot forgets their password and comes crying to me for help," he grumbled. Hm, someone shit in his cereal this morning.

"Yeah, I'd like to get started in the simulator."

"Alright…" he sighed, typing at the console. "Which combat mode? Time trial, to kill all hostiles as fast as possible, capture, to capture three points as fast as possible, Hunt, where you kill as many before the countdown reaches zero, and survival. Last as long as you can. So, which one?"

"I'll go with a time trial."

"Warehouse or tropical course?"

"Either of them change what hostiles I'm facing?"

"Warehouse are mercs and pirate models. They involve Krogan, Asari, Turians, Humans, Batarians, whatever. Simulated biotics are thrown into the mix. There's also Geth. Warehouse has mercs, tropical has Geth. At least for time trial," he recounted, bored and annoyed.

"Always up for shooting Geth. I'll take the tropical."

"Fine, fine. When you head down outside the simulator, you will be given dummy grenades, and you will be stocked with Medi-gel. While the rounds will cause no lasting damage, they will hurt, and they will bruise. You will be stocked with Medi-gel. And if you so much as think about using a real grenade I will turn off every safety feature this simulator has," he warned with a hint of a growl.

"Don't tell me anyone actually tried that?"

"You'd be surprised…"

"Dumbasses," I muttered. "Thanks, Ochren. Oh, wait, how much of my squad can I take?"

"If you're practicing, all of them, I couldn't care less. If competing, only five combatants are allowed in, including yourself. The other Spectres make do with those here at the station, but nothing says you can't bring in your own. Yes, you can try more than once in the competition, but only a total of three times in each scenario."

"Fuck it, I'll compete," I shrugged. "Thanks, Ochren." I turned back to the others. "We're going against Geth. Tali, Garrus, Kaidan, and Wrex. We're going in.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

That was fun. Honestly, it was. Take in combat but remove the legitimate threat of death and serious injury, and moving coordinated, as a squad, taking down hostiles? It's fun and fulfilling to see it all come out well. We checked our time at the end, and… hot damn. Best time. A minute fifteen. Next best time was a minute twenty.

"Back off, Vidinos! I haven't done anything wrong!" a human man argued just outside the entrance down to the combat sim floor. The same Turian who called out to Garrus earlier was standing there, arms crossed over his chest.

"If you've tampered with government equipment, Bryant, I'll have you thrown in the stockade," Vidinos threatened.

"What's this all about?" I asked, getting involved. Garrus not far behind.

"Get lost, Shepard. This doesn't concern you," he waved me off.

"Vidinos is just mad because a human beat his record," Ochren remarked from his seat. Hm, make that two Humans now."

"Shut it, Holo-jockey."

"Bryant says he scored highest in missions from multiple combat modes. No human's ever done that. He clearly cheated." I rolled my eyes.

"I just did on my first go. So clearly, it's possible. Besides, how many humans have even tried it before? And were they grunts? Specialists? Officers? I'm an N7 and I had five seconds to spare at the end of it," I countered.

"If your score was really that hard to beat, Vidinos, you wouldn't be just a Guard Captain," Garrus added. He scowled.

"Oh yeah? Think I don't see who's with you? That filthy suit-rat probably-"

"Spectre authority: Shut your goddamn mouth before I break your jaw," I glared daggers. He smirked.

"What? Don't want to hear-" I feinted a right hook which he bought, and then my left fist slammed into the center of his face. Caving in his face just slightly, breaking his nose.

"You thon of a bith! You're going in the-"

"Spectre. Authority. Fuck off."

"Know when you've lost, Vidinos. This is why you'll never make Spectre," Vasir remarked, coming over and pushing him aside.

"If you were as skilled as your ego is large, maybe you'd make an impression," Avitus Rix added.

"Gurgh. Thith ithn't over," he growled, blue blood dripping from his nose, still covered by a hand.

"Yeth, it ith," I mocked. He stormed off, grumbling.

"Not bad, Shepard. Not bad at all," Vasir remarked, leaning against the wall. "Top score on your first run? Not bad at all.

"Making me wish I had gotten a team together. Most Spectres work alone, or close to it," Avitus remarked.

"Why's that?" Ashley asked.

"More often than not, our missions more closely tied to stealth. Gathering intelligence, an assassination, rescue of a VIP," Jondum Bau listed off. "True, we occasionally have higher profile missions, but even then we usually go fast and quiet. Suppressed weapons, take out the hostiles before they can alert others."

"I see," I nodded. "I do have training in that sort of thing, at the end of the day, unless stealth is a requirement, I find it's both faster and simpler to take a team, take them out fast and hard. Rapid deployment kind of procedure," I stated.

"Maybe the Council's just curious to see what your style can do," Avitus mused. Hm. Maybe. Maybe…

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We've been here at Pinnacle for almost two days now. Competing, mostly. Vidinos hadn't caused many problems for us, which was fortunate. We used up all three of our attempts in each competition scenario. Last we checked, we were slated to win with all of the top scores. The objectives of the scenarios themselves were all relatively easy. The hunt mode basically turns into a survival scenario after a few kills, and they just start spawning rapidly enough that you're better off just holding position. Control can basically be treated like a time trial. Charge through, shoot fuckers, then hold position for a short while then rinse and repeat. Survival we wisely saved for last. Left us with quite a few bruises before the simulation, and we, decided we had succumbed to the masses. I think the reason we had been doing as well as we had, is because, like Avitus said, Spectres aren't generally used in heavy combat scenarios.

The crew and I were waiting in the lounge to be there for the results. Vasir and Bau had already left, having their own missions to continue. Bau congratulated me and wished me luck, Vasir was just gone. Avitus had remarked that was just what she does. Ahern entered the lounge, with two assistants carrying weapon cases.

"Look, you all know who the winner is. Why the hell bother making any drama. Shepard! Come get your weapons," he called out gruffly. Avitus, some of the Turian guards who participated, and Bryant, the Human, clapped as I made my way to Ahern, the aides setting the weapons down in front of the crew. "Congratulations, Commander. You're a credit to the uniform. I think the Council is going to give some serious thought as to the future of the Spectres after this."

"Thank you, sir."

"If you want any of them inscribed, we can arrange it," one of the assistants offered.

"You know what? Yeah, I can think of something to inscribe…"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next chapter things finally pick back up to regular pace! Virmire, though before any of that gets started, there will just be a brief part with these inscriptions and you'll understand one of the reasons why I kinda wanted it to be like this. Hey, at least I didn't waste all of your time by going through any of the Pinnacle Missions. And I decided not to bother with Ahern's challenge because that retirement home is hardly worth risking the life of both him and his team in a goddamn simulation. Also I wrote this chapter as a way to get Shepard to meet some other Spectres. And it just came to me while writing to include Avitus here.**


	32. The Sacrifice

**Commander John Shepard**

"Garrus, Tali, I got something for the both of you. Come on," I requested, nodding my head towards my quarters. We had all just finished eating dinner for the night, and likely would all be getting some sleep soon. We still hadn't left Pinnacle Station.

"What is it, Shepard?" Tali asked, curiously.

"Follow me, and I'll show you," I remarked, standing and walking towards my quarters. The two Dextros followed. Inside, I had left the Spectre-grade sniper and shotgun on the table. "They're yours."

"Commander, you can't be serious. These are Spectre-grade. We aren't Spectres," Garrus hesitated.

"So? You use the sniper more than I do, Tali uses her shotgun more than I do. Besides, I want you to have them," I retorted. "Go on, pick em up, get a feel for em." Hesitantly, they obliged.

"It feels… lighter than mine, but it's a little larger, I think," Tali tested the weight and the sights.

"Well, this is very, very nice. It has a VI interface that links up with my visor. It's computing where the round will go, measuring wind and drop, I can even see a small line marking the bullet's trail," Garrus hummed, impressed.

"Check by the grips," I suggested. Both took a peek, and I grinned.

"Something to remember me by… your good friend, John Shepard," Tali read off, and then looked at me with a light in her eyes. Well, more than just from their bioluminescence.

"To C-Sec's best. Your good friend, John Shepard," Garrus read his.

"Got those inscribed just for the both of you. I know both of you plan to leave sometime after this Saren mess is over, and… well I'm gonna miss the both of you." Tali, while smiling I'd bet, set the shotgun down and gave me a hug, which I happily returned.

"I won't need this to remember you, Shepard. I don't even need the pilgrimage gift to remember you by. You, my time here, all of it, has been absolutely unforgettable."

"That… that means a lot, Tali. Thanks," I smiled back.

"Thank you, for everything, Shepard," Garrus gave his own grin.

"Oh come on, big guy. Bring it here," I chuckled. Shaking his head, chuckling, Garrus grudgingly accepted a much shorter hug that was more of just a mutual back pat. "You two better keep in touch after all this. Don't think I'm above using Spectre authority to force you both to hang out at least some of the time," I warned, joking. Kinda.

"I promise, Shepard," Tali giggled.

"I'm still going to need a drinking buddy when I'm back on the force. And I think it pays to know someone who can cut through some bureaucracy," Garrus joked.

"Anytime," I grinned.

"Commander!" Joker called out over the intercom. "Getting a call from the Council. Marked as urgent." The three of us returned to business mode.

"Make sure the others aren't getting to bed just yet. I'll see what's going on," I ordered. The two of them nodded and left the quarters. Their new weapons folded and in hand. As soon as the door closed, I answered the call, sitting in front of the monitor. Oddly enough, it was only Tevos and Valern.

"Good evening Commander Shepard, we recently received information that may be critical to your investigation," Tevos again.

"We're ready to set out immediately. What's the intel?"

"An urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the traverse. This one specifically, STG. Several are scattered through our borders with smaller units in Terminus. This one was tasked with information on Saren. The message was sent on a channel reserved for mission critical information. Unfortunately, it was little more than static," Valern explained. It certainly seems likely that it's something big.

"Where was the message's origin?"

"The cluster is Sentry Omega; the system is Hoc. the planet, Virmire. It's right along the border," Valern answered.

"Understood. I'll find your team, find out what they know."

"Good luck, Commander."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

Not only did we get that night to rest, but the next night as well to get us rested, and make sure the aches and pains and bruises from Pinnacle were all gone. Reading up on Virmire, it sounded like quite a nice planet. Perfectly habitable, levo, and, my favorite part- it's tropical. Aside from the poles, anywhere on the planet is comparable to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Thing is, it's uncolonized, and likely not to be colonized for a long time because of how close it is to Terminus. Pirates and slavers tend to scare people off.

I watched from the bridge, just behind Joker, as we came out of FTL. At the system's edge, just to be safe. We ran an immediate scan as the stealth drive was engaged, already making our way towards Virmire. Now, just a barely visible speck. We would remain slower than light, but just barely. The drive core basically putting us right on the edge. It made the universe seem to stretch in front of us.

"Scan results coming in… no contacts," Joker informed. "No ships, no signals, detecting nothing but the star and planets."

"Hm… scan again when we enter orbit," I ordered. Around twenty minutes later, Virmire was much more than a speck. The Normandy slowed, our vision of the universe returning to normal. Joker positioned us into orbit while another scan was run.

Got a faint signal. Just barely there. Can't make anything out from it, other than the frequency. Ain't that the one the Council said was for priority shit?" Joker asked.

"Gotta be STG then. Scans get a read of the surface? I want details on the region around the signal source."

"We're getting interference," Joker shook his head. "Permission to enter atmo?"

"Granted, but only as much as necessary." Slowly, the Normandy began a descent. The angle and speed of which only resulted in minor flames breaking out as the friction of the ship against the air generated heat.

"Results coming in. Got geographic data on the area. Signal's coming from a clearing near a shoreline. There's also a large structure not far from it. Whole area is dotted with smaller structures. Some of them are defense towers. Big gun emplacements, we'd have been spotted and shredded already if not for the stealth drive," Joker muttered. "Radar can still get us though, not from this height, at least."

"Can you get the Mako into a hot drop? Close to the surface and under the radar?"

"Course I can. Just gotta time it right. Go get the team ready and let me know. I'll work my magic as soon as you're all set up."

"Good. We'll take out some of those towers along the way. Once we can confirm a friendly presence at the signal site, see if you can't land there. We may need to evac wounded."

"Understood, sir." I called ahead to get the crew in the Mako, just to shorten the time we'd take up. I joined them as fast as I could, what with that shitty elevator. I got in, and I readied the Mako.

"We're ready, Joker."

"One sec. Gotta finish circling back around out of radar range… and… starting the descent. I'm gonna have to flatten out our path just below radar range somewhere over the ocean. I'll open the cargo bay doors, and when I give you the signal, launch your asses out," Joker explained. I revved the Mako's engine just to keep myself ready.

"I'm glad my first few drops were much less risky than this one," Tali remarked as the bay doors opened.

"Yeah, well, this time if you do it too late the Normandy is going head on into a massive rock, so… enjoy that thought, potential future pancakes," Joker joked.

"Goddess, that doesn't help," Liara muttered.

"Ready… and… go! Now, Commander!" Joker exclaimed. I was already putting the pedal to the metal. Joker wasn't exaggerating. Our drop zone wasn't that large, at least, not to the front. The island we were landing at had a sandy shoreline, but most of the land, it seemed, and all the vibrant plant life, was raised by rock faces surrounded the shorelines, going up a dozen or so meters. We dropped out of the Normandy, not even needing the thrusters and impacted with the shore. Water splashed and the Mako bounced twice before settling, still in the water, only up to the middle of the wheels. Further in the distance, we saw the Normandy turn and make its way back out of radar range.

"Clean drop, Joker. Good work."

"Thanks sir. See you at the LZ when the guns are down." I got situated with the environment, turning the Mako around. We had in fact been dropped into a little inlet that seawater was only flowing into from the real shoreline. Didn't have much else to follow, so we followed the shoreline. Large rocks lined the divide between the shore and the open ocean, and in the distance was a storm forming. Maybe even a hurricane.

"What are those things?" Tali asked, pointing to some large crab-like creatures wading through the waters. They almost seemed metallic, and walked on four legs, connected to a central, drum like head.

"Native life, I guess," I shrugged, continuing to drive us along. Still just following the shoreline. There was the occasional lone "tower" of rock with more trees and grass on it's top, even out separated from the main island. We turned a corner, as ahead was only rock, and the flow of water continued further into the island. Then small shapes grouped up, and started to get much, much closer to us.

"Taking fire!" Tali called out.

"Drones! Opening fire!" Garrus responded, the MG going hot. There wasn't much I could do in the way of evasive maneuvers, so I kept us circling around the area, letting Garrus take down the drones. "Clear. Definitely know we're here though. I'll keep my eyes open."

"Good. Shoot any Geth or drones you see," I ordered, continuing to drive. Following the bends and the flow of water, we ended up along yet another shoreline, passing by more and more of those crab things along the way. Around the next bend was a line of deployable kinetic barriers. And Geth opening fire. "Explosive shot," I ordered. Garrus didn't respond, he just followed through. The explosion destroyed most of the barriers and sent Geth scraps flying. There were still some rounds pinging our shields, but MG fire took them down without hassle.

The next bend revealed the first gun emplacement along our path. A Geth structure built like a wall that could block access, but oddly enough, there were openings on the bottom. Hinting at doors that could block us, but, they simply weren't down. Or even there, perhaps. What was there, however, were more Geth. I stopped the Mako just in the front of it as Garrus fired.

"Move! We need to take down that gun. Garrus will draw their fire," I ordered to the others. "Tali, stay put, keep the shields strong." Tali nodded and returned to her work on her console. While the rest of us, filed out. The gun still roaring.

"I got them pinned down but they're definitely not down yet," Garrus warned.

"Understood. We'll flank them, take them down," I answered. We ran to a ramp up to the second level and shot down the remaining Geth with ease. We made our way to the AA gun's control room, which was embedded in rock. Tali shut down the gun, and the entire system for this gun. The console? Shot to hell. We returned to the Mako, and turned the corn-

"Oh, fucking hell!" I exclaimed as I turned the Mako back around. Hard. "Garrus! I'm gonna do the bitch move and just keep poking us out of cover so you can launch explosive shots."

"Got it. Ready whenever," the Turian answered.

"Starting now." I drove ahead. A lot of bullets began pinging off our shields and the Colossus was already charging a shot. Fortunately, Garrus shot first, and we immediately withdrew as he fired another. "Go as fast as you can. Bastard's probably on the move," I urged.

"Ready!" Garrus called out. We poked out and fired again. The Colossus' armor was scorched, and we didn't get to see the results of the second round. We withdrew, and saw a leg start to move into view. Thing was almost in its perfect line of fire. Garrus confirmed he had another shot loaded, and we moved to fire. It seemed the second round had impacted its armor, but that the remaining shields and reduced most of its impact. True, it still exploded, but the round itself hadn't pierced the armor before doing so. Garrus fired, and the Colossus was done. The rounds had all gone to where the neck and body meet. The final shot had separated the two, in addition to the rest of the damage. Shredded and twisted metal, core systems pierced. The Colossus was neutralized. And we had to stay put a moment as the shields recharged.

"Ok, let's hope they don't have too many more of those bastards around here," I muttered. Once the shields were recharged, we continued past the remains of the Colossus, to find a pair of armatures making their way towards us. Garrus fired another shot.

"You'd think the smaller fuckers would know it's a bad idea to charge us after we killed that Colossus," Wrex remarked.

"I won't turn down a few extra kills," Garrus retorted as he fired another shot. Neutralizing the second. We found ourselves at a fork in the road, so to speak. One path lead to the shoreline, the other, remained inland. And given that the Salarian camp was still mostly inland, that's the one I followed. There was another armature keeping guard, but he went down with another shot.

"Hope this doesn't go on too much longer. We only have so many explosive rounds," Garrus reminded. We turned another corner. There was a small rock arch separating this small inlet from the next. And in the next inlet, was another Colossus.

"Oh, for fucks sake," I grumbled. "Look, we have range. I'll back us up, Garrus, you just fire everything. Understood?"

"Understood. Opening fire now." We had its attention now. Only a handful of rounds from the Colossus' MG were impacting our shields now, and the charge shots were still easily avoidable, and not terribly constant. While our fire on the other hand… Another three explosive rounds took it down for the count.

"Only five more!" Garrus warned.

"Got it. Save the last three for any more Colossi," I ordered. While making sure to not get us going in a circle, I continued following the water flow. There was another gun emplacement. Designed much the same as the previous, but this time, the Mako's path was blocked by thick metal doors. Needless to say, Geth were waiting. Even a Destroyer. Garrus began his work with the MG, Tali keeping the shields up, while the rest of us got out, and prepared to flank. Unfortunately, the Geth had better cover from Garrus this time, but Kaidan and Liara gave us a barrier. Still, I suspected some of the MG rounds were breaking through to kill Geth anyway. Our shields took a hit or two, but we shredded through them. I was mighty impressed with my new rifle. The rounds were all coated in a phasic envelope, which made it harder for kinetic barriers to combat them. Much harder. And the rounds carried significantly more power in each shot with a stronger mass accelerator, and additional magnets along the barrel, speeding the metal shards along even faster. And somehow, they fit a large, or perhaps just highly advanced heatsink into the rifle.

With the area cleared, I took Tali's place in disabling the gun and opening the door for the Mako.

"Commander, can confirm Salarian presence at the camp. Apparently they saw the flyby as we dropped you off. They're telling us to land, and marking the best spot at their camp to do so," Joker informed.

"Good to hear. Will you be in range of any other guns?"

"Negative."

"Then go ahead and land. We'll be with you shortly."

"Aye, aye." Following the bend around, there was yet another of these gatehouse like structures, yet no AA gun. Just plenty of Geth to be mowed down. We followed the same procedure as before, and opened the gate without even a scratch. The Mako continued on its way, and we saw the Normandy fly by as it began landing. We encountered no further hostiles either. "Commander, we've touched down, but the Salarians are saying we're grounded."

"What for?" I asked, confused.

"The Captain says he'll explain when you get here," Joker answered, sounding annoyed.

"Typical…" Wrex grumbled. We turned one final corner, and got eyes on the encampment. They were camped out by a sea wall, curiously not of Geth creation. It was little more than tents, large and small. Dozens, maybe more, were visible at least here and now. Several of them waving us down. The Mako parked near them, and I led the others out. The Normandy was parked safely just by the shoreline. One of the Salarians came to greet us head on. His skin was a lighter green, and his armor was marked both with the logo of the STG, and the Salarian's symbol of Captain.

"Take it you're in charge here?" I asked. I could already see the eyes of several of the Salarian troops locked onto Wrex. And I could hear his large and heavy feet pacing in the water behind me.

"Yes. Captain Kirrahe. Third Infiltration Regiment, STG," he introduced. "You and your crew have just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun in ten miles knows you're here."

"We have a stealth drive. Radar might detect the ship, but they won't be able to get a reliable lock on. We can get your people out of here," I offered.

"Too risky. The Geth calculate too fast to reliably counter and fool. We need to stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested," Kirrahe explained.

"The Council did receive the transmission, but it was garbled to hell apparently. They sent me to investigate."

"What? Damn it. I told them to send a fleet. Must be jamming our damn comms. And, to investigate? That's a repetition of our task. I lost half my men 'investigating' this place," he revealed bitterly.

"Hold on, your task was to investigate something on this world, an entire STG regimen tasked with investigating something on a remote world, and the Council decides to send one ship to investigate? How the hell did they greenlight that? Sparatus is military, he should understand that warrants a stronger response," I exclaimed. I then sighed. "Fuck it. We'll make do. What have you found?"

"Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here but it's crawling with Geth and heavily fortified," Kirrahe explained.

"Saren? Have you seen him here?" Ashley butted in.

"No, but the Geth are everywhere and we've intercepted several comms referring to him by name. There's no doubt that this is his facility."

"And what's he researching?" I continued.

"He's using the facility to breed an army of Krogan."

Wrex's pacing came to an immediate stop.

"How is that possible?" He asked quietly. Tensely. The Salarians were getting nervous.

"There… are two possibilities. Excessive cloning, or he's been countering the Genophage." It got rather quiet. But I could hear Wrex's breathing increasing. Getting heavier.

"Well… shit. An army of Geth at his disposable is bad enough. An army of Krogan under his control? Damn," I murmured.

"My thoughts as well. We must ensure that this facility, and its secrets, are destroyed," Kirrahe nodded. Ah shit, why'd he have to say destroy.

"Destroyed? No. No, I don't think so," Wrex grumbled, stepping closer to the front of the group. "My people are dying. If there's a cure, they can be saved." Knew he still cared about them.

"If that cure leaves this planet, the Krogan will be unstoppable without simply destroying Tuchanka. We can't make the same mistake again," Kirrahe stated, focusing on me. Wrex slowly got right into the Captain's face. Salarians began reaching for their weapons. Ah fuck…

"My people are not a fucking mistake," he snarled, and then stormed off. The Salarians giving him a wide berth.

"Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry Krogan to deal with."

"I'll talk with him."

"That would be appreciated. My men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us some time?"

"Sure." Kirrahe nodded and took some of his men into the command tent.

"Well, this is messy," Garrus murmured.

"Understatement of the year. I wouldn't be so worried if it wasn't for Wrex. Looks like he's going to blow a gasket," Ashley remarked. The blast of a shotgun rang out. Our heads all turned to see that Wrex was just shooting towards the rocks on the other side of the inlet.

"He'll be fine. Trust me. I'll talk to him now, alright?" I reassured.

"I hope he's alright…" Tali murmured. I approached the Krogan. His left eye turned to look at me, but the scowl had yet to leave him.

"This isn't right, Shepard. If there's a cure, we can't destroy it."

"I agree." That seemed to surprise him. "But I'm going to warn you about a few things. First: It's much more likely that this is cloning. Second, the Krogan here are under Saren's control. Slaves to him just like the Krogan were war slaves to the Council. Third… the Krogan, as they are now, can't be cured. Not yet." Internally, I was nervous. This is thin ice. Wrex frowned again.

"You started off pretty well, Shepard. Now? Not so much. Why?"

"You know why, Wrex. The Krogan aren't united, they aren't peaceful. You know as well as I do, that if they get cured right now, there would be war. It wouldn't end well for anyone," I warned. "But… if we find a cure, or information that could lead to one… maybe a certain Spectre will quietly take it without anyone knowing… and maybe, that Spectre will wait for the day the Krogan start to change. To follow a leader who cares about his people. Who knows that revenge isn't the way forward… hm?" I hinted. Wrex relented to a brief chuckle.

"I already tried, Shepard. It didn't work." I got closer to the Krogan.

"You could always try again. And hey, maybe you support someone or tell me about someone to keep an eye on. But I'll tell you one thing, Wrex. You try to hide it, but your passion, your belief in your people, is obvious. And you were making damn good progress before. If anyone can do it, you can."

Wrex put his shotgun back on his back.

"Alright. I'll do it. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I want Saren's head."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

The crew and Kirrahe's officers, as well as the Captain himself, were gathered in the Command tent. He had a holo-table with a map of the facility and surrounding area.

"Our main objective is to destroy Saren's facility. To accomplish this, we can convert our ship's drive core into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective," Kirrahe began.

"That'll make one helluva boom," I whistled. "But I get the feeling it wouldn't have taken extra time to plan if we could have just dropped it from orbit."

"Correct. The facility is too well fortified for that to be as effective as we require. It needs to be placed by the facility's reactor. That's on the far side of the facility," Kirrahe explained. "Your ship can drop it off, but first we need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns, and neutralize any ground forces in the area."

"Do we even have enough troops to go in on foot?" Kaidan asked. "Looking at the approach, it looks like a suicide run."

"It's our only option. However, I believe we've found a work-around. I'll lead my forces in a forward assault to get their attention. Meanwhile, you'll sneak your 'Shadow' team in the back." I shook my head.

"That's still going to be a slaughter fest."

"We're tougher than we look, but you're not wrong. I don't expect many of us to make it out alive. Even though we'll focus more on staying alive," Kirrahe shrugged. "Now I need to ask something difficult. I need one of your team to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams. One who knows Alliance communication protocols, so I believe that limits it down to your humans."

"I volunteer," Kaidan and Ashley said in sync. Before they could argue about it, I spoke up.

"Kaidan, your tech skills will complement the Salarian's, and they could use the biotics as well. Those barriers will save lives, and keep you in the fight longer. Williams, you're trained in demolitions, you'll arm it. Understood?" Both stood at attention.

"Aye, aye."

Kirrahe finished the meeting by pointing out our infiltration point, the exit plan, which would be a mix of falling back and Normandy exfil, and finally, the Salarian teams. Three of them. Aegohr, Mannovai, and Jaeto. Once finished, Kirrahe stepped out of the tent to his assembled soldiers.

"Well, this is it, eh? Try not to get yourselves killed while I'm gone, alright?" Kaidan tried to make some humor, but was nervous himself.

"We'll be fine, Kaidan. You take care of yourself too," Garrus stated.

"Yeah… yeah. Just, good luck."

"You alright, Kaidan?" I asked.

"Fine, sir. Just weird going under someone else's command. I might have gotten used to you all," he managed a chuckle. "Just wasn't aware I was getting transferred," he tried to joke.

"I'll put in a form to get you back once this is over, alright?" I responded, smirking.

"Thanks," he managed a grin. "Been an honor serving with you all." I gave Kaidan a salute. One he returned.

"We got this. So long as no one does anything stupid or plays the hero, we'll all make it out of this alive, alright?"

"Understood, sir." Kaidan ended the salute, and moved to join the Salarians. Kirrahe began a speech.

"You all know the mission and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life, but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns. We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way." he began pacing in front of his men. "Think of our heroes. The Silent Step, who defeated a nation, with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were _soldiers._ Our influence stopped the Rachni, but before that, we held the line. Our influence stopped the Krogan, but before that, we held the line!" I almost chuckled as I heard Wrex grumble. "Our influence will stop Saren! In the battle today, we will hold the line!"

"Cah-Nah!" The Salarian soldiers all exclaimed. That must be their equivalent of 'Ooh-rah." Kirrahe turned back to us.

"Good luck, Commander. I hope we meet again."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Comm check, do you read me, Commander?" Kirrahe questioned.

"Loud and clear. We're in position."

"Good. We'll start our push. We'll try to make it to the guns, but it might be up to you to finish the job."

"Understood. We'll do whatever we can to help out along the way."

"Appreciated, Commander. Good luck." The comms went silent, and we got on our way. Seconds later, we could hear the guns even from here.

"Fire is focused on Mannovai team, can't push!" Kaidan called out. Just as we were turning a corner, and saw another Geth structure. Fortified.

"That's a communication tower. If we take it out, we'll weaken the Geth's intelligence and coordination," Tali pointed out.

"Then we take it down. Move," I ordered. Geth started shooting at us, and we fell into cover. Garrus already had his sniper out, and the lot of us got to work. Shooting, and rushing forward into closer and closer cover. A destroyer was the strongest unit at the comm tower, and once it fell, the few remaining troops fell quickly. Tali got onto the comm console.

"Flooding the systems with garbage data, and shutting down this tower," she stated. "And… done." We immediately started getting back on track, heading east towards the facility.

"Something scrambled their targeting. We've got a shot! Lieutenant Alenko, take the heat off Mannovai!" Kirrahe ordered. Good, it worked. Following the path, two more Geth were standing guard by a waterfall. Guarding the small pass. They weren't ready for us and we took them down before they even fired. Do they even know we're here? We shot down the occasional drone, and then came across to another Geth structure. One we couldn't avoid to continue on our way.

"They're calling sat strikes! Jaeto, watch for comm stations. Alenko, see anything?" Kirrahe called out. I looked higher at the structure and smirked under the helmet.

"I do," I murmured, even though we weren't transmitting, just to delay Geth detection. There was a satellite dish near the top of the structure. And not even a large one. I fired at the thin metal rod holding it in place, and it collapsed, the dish in fact fell onto another Geth unit, crushing the body.

There was a roar, a Krogan charged. And it wasn't Wrex.

"I got it!" Garrus exclaimed, and a shot rang out from his sniper. Not only did the Krogan's head essentially vaporize, but the body was sent flying back, crashing into a wall.

"Fucking hell! I fucking want one!" Ashley shouted, stunned.

"By the spirits I love this thing," Garrus chuckled.

"I think I might want that back, Vakarian," I joked.

"No. Never. No matter what. You're not getting this back," Garrus retorted. Only half joking, I'd bet. We pushed forward, now walking along catwalks.

"Aircraft returning to perimeter to recharge. Bunker up before they come back," Kaidan warned.

"We go north, see if one of those platforms is over here, then to the base," I ordered. Quickly, we ran and searched, following the catwalks. Then got eyes on drones, and a small Geth ship, smaller than a shuttle, resting on the platform, the ship with some fuel lines attached.

"Shoot the fuel tanks, should take them all out." We opened fire, and the platform detonated violently, engulfed in burning fuel. We turned and made our way back to the base itself. There were three Krogan spread out, waiting. They saw us, and started to charge, only armed with shotguns, forcing them to get close. Garrus took another out with a single shot, my rifle shredded another apart, most of the rounds going to the head anyway, Under the combined fire of Ashley, Wrex, and Liara, the other fell.

"Air threat has not materialized. We may be getting help from Shadow," Kirrahe informed his men. "They must be getting close. Hold the line, men. Hold the line." We got eyes on a door, and entered. It brought us into a kind of buffer zone. We weren't inside the base, but we weren't outside the perimeter either. There were more doors in by the catwalk.

"Tali, open it up," I order She nodded, and got to work on a console, the rest of us, covering her. Moments later, she finished typing.

"I have access to the base's security. I have these doors, and the alarms. I can cut the ones here, could even trigger those on the far side of the base. What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Just get us inside and disable the alarms. Let's not give the Salarians anything more than necessary. We can handle it."

"Understood. Doors unlocked, alarm offline." Tali answered. We entered, and it was like a warehouse. Crates everywhere. There were also Geth, and… Salarians? They were shaking, twitching.

"Take out the Geth, we'll secure the survivors." We opened fire, and the Salarians screamed and screeched, and just… charged.

"Calm down! We're here to-" a Salarian tackled me and tried to claw at my face, which was still protected under the helmet. I pulled the pistol from my holster and placed the barrel under his chin, firing. Coating my helmet and visor in green blood. The other Salarians were shot by the others once I was tackled. "Must be indoctrinated," I muttered, wiping the blood of my visor. We made our way out of the warehouse and found ourselves on a balcony looking over holding cells. Filled with Salarians.

"Hello? Can you hear me? You're not Geth, right? Can you get me out of here?" one of the Salarians shouted. I glanced at the others. They weren't sure. So, I jumped over the railing and landed on my feet on the lower level. The others followed. The biotics easing their own fall. "Well, you're not a Geth, and not wearing a lab coat. Guess that means I'm glad to see you," he muttered bitterly. "Lieutenant Ganto Imness of the Third Infiltration Regiment. Captured during recon. I assume the fleet was called in?"

"Hm, more or less," I remarked, not sure about trusting hi just yet. "Transmission must have been scrambled. You must be the infiltration team. I know the Captain. He'll want this place destroyed. My team was altered. The eggheads say, indoctrinated. This is the greater threat. Far more horrifying. Not the Breeding grounds. I've watched good people reduced to mindless husks. There wasn't anything left. Others died during the experiments. The lucky ones."

"What do you know about Indoctrination?"

"Not sure. The scientists hadn't gotten around to me yet. But they were studying it here. Symptoms, progress. Saren uses it to control people, but I don't think he fully understands it either. Please, don't let me end up like those empty… husks. Let me out or kill me. Please," he requested, tired. I heard something hitting one of the cells. Indoctrinated Salarians, just tapping their forehead on the glass.

"I'll open your cell, but you're on your own. Just get the hell out of dodge before this place gets blown to hell," I warned.

"Better chance than I had before," he shrugged. "Thank you. And good luck." I opened the door. "I'll wait here a short while, so you can clear out what's ahead." I nodded, and we got back to it.

"Ignore the others. The blast will put them out of their misery." We got back up to the second level and two more indoctrinated Salarians were there. But these had pistols and tried to shoot. A single shot put them down as they had neither shields nor armor. We were beside an elevator and tried it. When it opened, there was a Husk standing in a medical scanner. We shot it immediately, and spread into cover, both at the elevator, and along other concrete walls.

"What is this?! Where are the guards?! Where's Saren?" A Krogan shouted as the other Husks got loose.

"Fucking damn it," Wrex snarled. It was then I noticed what were on several of the lab tables. Krogan. All dead, cut open. Some the sharper, upward pointing heads of the males, some, the flatter, more curved heads of the females. The Krogan stormed into view as the last Husk fell. He was dressed in a kind of lab coat. A Krogan doctor?"

"This is the glorious salvation of our species!" he roared.

"You call that, glorious?" Wrex got out of cover, weapon pointed at the doctor.

"I call those, necessary sacrifices," the doctor glared.

"I see how much blood there is. They wouldn't bleed that much if they were already dead. You call that necessary?" Wrex holstered his shotgun. "No. It fucking isn't." Wrex charged, and the doctor tried to fight him back. But it was a warrior against a doctor. Even a Krogan one. Before long, Wrex had pried his claws under the forehead plate of the doctor, and began pulling. The Krogan roared in pain, and the plate was then pulled off, and Wrex plunged his claws into his skull. Pulling the flesh back, and ripping away parts of the skull. Then a fist was driven into the brain, and chunks pulled out. The Krogan fell dead.

"Let's see if he had a terminal," I ordered, getting everyone's eyes off the scene. We turned a corner of the med-bay. It was filled with tubes. Some large, some small. All contained Krogan. All the tubes were labeled as clone tanks. "Sorry Wrex," I sighed.

"Bastard might have had something at least," Wrex grumbled. There was a door labeled as Dr. Droyas' office. We checked in there, and there was a terminal in front of a chair certainly designed for a Krogan. It was already unlocked, and I transferred all files to my Omni-tool. Something to go over later.

"You sure, Commander?" Garrus asked on a private channel, he must have just set up.

"Wrex and I talked. I'll tell you parts of it later. Not now." The channel went silent, but Garrus did nod in acknowledgement. The only way out of this medical facility led us to another outside section, and there were Geth standing guard outside a door and a raised catwalk. The Geth were both taken down immediately, and we investigated what they were guarding. It was another office, and an Asari hiding under the desk stood with her hands raised.

"Don't shoot! Please! I just want to get out of here before it's too late!" she pleaded. We kept our weapons trained. Hard to trust anyone in this facility.

"Who are you?" I questioned.

"Rana Thanoptis. Neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain too!" she seemed panicked.

"Why should I even trust you? Seems like you're a willing proponent to everything until your life was at risk," I sneered, though she couldn't see it.

"I can help you! Look, the elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab! I can get you in!" She typed on her console and the door unlocked and opened.

"What were you studying?"

"It's that ship, Sovereign. It emits some kind of… signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence and control his followers. Direct exposure makes you mindless, like the Salarians. But there's collateral damage too. The signal is too strong. Too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle at the back of the skull." As she explained, a hand went to scratch the back of her head. Telling. "It's like… a whisper you can't quite hear. Compelled to do things but you don't think, just obey. And stop thinking for yourself. My first subject was the man I replaced."

"Tell me more about the signal."

"It's not quite the right word. More like… an energy field. It takes time, days, weeks, months, even, but it happens. But it's degenerative. There's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom a subject maintains, the less capable it becomes."

"So… Saren doesn't control it, and he's researching it. He's afraid of it, isn't he?" I questioned.

"Yes, I think so. It's subtle. By the time the effects become noticeable, it's usually too late."

"And how am I supposed to believe that you're not indoctrinated, hm? Sounds like you've been here long enough. Done plenty of bad shit," I kept my weapons trained.

"I didn't want to die! I don't want to die! Please!" I kept my weapon trained, and stepped closer. I then bashed the butt of my rifle against her head, knocking her unconscious.

"She has a chance, but I don't trust her not to follow us and fuck us over," I explained. With Rana unconscious, we followed the route she had unlocked. Taking the elevator down. It was a room with a lower and upper level. We entered from the upper level, and there was a catwalk that just stopped in the middle of the room. Looking out over a-

"By the Goddess, is that a Beacon?!" Liara exclaimed.

"Has to be. I'll see what it has." I stepped down the ramp to be in front of the Beacon itself.

"Careful, Skipper. You remember what happened last time," Ashley warned.

"I also didn't have the Cipher last time," I reminded. "And this one isn't damaged." The beacon was covered in a kind of green aura, and a green haptic interface in front of the Beacon. I felt a chill and almost like the beacon was gently tugging at my brain. And I stood before the Beacon. Without even thinking, I touched a button on the interface, and the Beacon glowed brighter. Green energy, looking like lightning, travelled up the center of the Beacon. I felt myself get picked up just slightly above the ground, and then…

I was in the field again. The same one I saw Echo in. That Prothean VI. Before me, stood a figure. Much like Echo. But wider, broader of shoulder.

"Human, good. You can understand me," a clearly masculine voice began. "I detect memories of a damaged counterpart. You understand the Reaper threat?"

"I do."

"No. You don't. And you won't until they arrive. If you and your cycle are to have any chance of stopping them, you must find the Conduit. Prevent this, Saren, from controlling it."

"Where is the Conduit?"

"I am imprinting coordinates into your mind. We called the planet, Illos. I would tell you more, but our databanks were limited as much as we could to prevent indoctrinated agents from gaining this information. It may not have been enough. I detect you have more questions. I do not have time to answer them. Go to Illos. That is where your questions will be answered. Goodbye, Human." The vision came to an abrupt close, and my feet returned to the ground.

"Illos. The Conduit is on Illos," I revealed.

"That name sounds familiar, I'll need to check my notes," Liara murmured.

"I have the coordinates. Right now, focus on the mission," I stated. "Let's make our way out of here." I began returning to the elevator up, the others behind me.

" **You are not Saren."**

I felt like my spin froze. The voice was that chilling. It was dark and heavy. Synthesized. A hologram was present just in front of where the upper catwalk ended. It was a hologram of Sovereign, and it was a deep red color.

"What is this? Some kind of VI?" Tali questioned.

" **Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."**

I shivered. The voice was so deep I could feel it rumbling in my chest.

"I don't think this is an VI…" Garrus murmured.

" **There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign."**

"Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship he found, is it? But an actual Reaper…" I muttered, starting to understand.

" **Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to the destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."** I felt a three fingered hand grab my arm. Squeezing. Fear. It was palpable, and Tali was far from the only one feeling it. It seemed like no one was even breathing. **"Organic life is nothing more than a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."**

"No… No, you are not," I growled, growing angry, somehow. "All the races of the Galaxy will come together to face you."

" **Confidence born of ignorance. The Cycle cannot be broken."**

"The extinction cycle?" Liara murmured her question, more so for us to hear, I believe.

" **The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."** Oh fuck. That was all the Reapers?!

"Why would you build them and leave them for us?" I questioned.

" **Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire."** Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. All this time we've been doing exactly what the Reapers have wanted us to be doing. To place ourselves exactly how they want. I felt Tali squeeze my arm again. **"We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it."**

"They're harvesting us like crops! We advance to the level they need and then wipe us out," Tali exclaimed, terror creeping in.

"What do you even want from us? Slaves? Resources? What the fuck is all of this for?!" I demanded.

" **My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot grasp the nature of our existence."** Great, another arrogant hostile who thinks their foes are incapable of grasping their goals. But… hell… I don't know if that's untrue here.

"Where did you come from? What race built you?" I questioned.

" **We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure."** That's a lie. It has to be. Something to try and scare us further. They can't possibly be some primordial force but made of machine. These things are capable of lying.

"Where are the rest of you? You wouldn't be this confident if you were the last."

" **We. Are. Legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."** Assuming that's not a lie… fuck.

"No. No, fuck that! You're a machine. Just a machine, and machines can be broken!" I shouted.

" **Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over."** The hologram faded, and there was a humming noise. The windows shattered, and the Beacon exploded.

"Commander! We got trouble!" Joker informed.

"What-What is it, Joker?" I asked, still recovering.

"That ship, er, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just took a turn that would have sheared any of our ships in half. It's coming your way, fast as fuck. You need to wrap things up right now!"

"Damn it… we're on the move!" I responded, and we got back into the elevator. "I know I put on a brave face in there, but I might have pissed myself," I admitted.

"That even creeped me out," Wrex murmured.

"Can we please just not talk about it right now?" Liara pleaded quietly. We went silent, and the elevator stopped. Rana was still on the ground, and the raised catwalk had lowered. A Geth destroyer was waiting, but he went down quickly.

"Geth are turning from your position, Jaeto. Looks like Shadow hit a sensitive spot! Alenko, head them off! Hold them out here," Kirrahe ordered. We continued running, cutting down any Geth or Krogan who stood in our way. The biotics were on overdrive, and our recent weapon upgrades were one helluva boon. We were almost there. We could see the single AA gun we'd pass by on the way to the bomb site. Enough Geth were waiting that it forced us to slow our pace significantly. Taking cover, firing when we could. The upside, that was thanks to Tali's hacking, we got plenty of opportunities. And each time one of us fired, another Geth went down. We got to the controls and shut it down. The elevator doors opened, Geth trying to stop us, but arriving too late. The surprise did a dent on our shields, but our quick retaliation put them down.

"First gun down. Good work, Shadow. Now it's our turn," Kirrahe stated. We got in the elevator and made our way down. We were just about to exit the elevator and the small tunnel it opened into when Kirrahe gave a status update. "That's it. Clear the Geth, set charges." there was only a few Geth hoppers outside, but they were jumping around more Krogan cloning tanks. At the end of this cloning segment, was a large metal door. One that should lead to the bomb site. "Charges set! Everyone bunker down. Bunker down!" We began opening the door and heard the explosion. We made it. The reactor exterior. Place it just outside the door, and the whole base will go up in flames.

"We're in position! Area's secure. Will keep clear of further hostiles," I called out, letting the Salarian teams and the Normandy know.

"Understood," Joker answered. The Normandy soared overhead and turned more slowly, coming in head on to land in this trench like area. Wonder if the sea water is the cooling system for the reactor. Just cutting that off might be enough to destroy the place. The moment the Normandy touched down, the bomb was being escorted by a few of the onboard marines. Not trained enough for me to want to take them on the ground team. They're essentially just security personnel for the ship. Ashley got right on over to help. It was like half of a metal dome partially covering wire and fuel lines and all other manner of tech that will make it go boom. It was set down, and the marines set up shop to help guard the bomb. Ashley getting to work on arming it.

"Bomb's in position, we're ready to move," I called out.

"Commander! You read?" Kaidan exclaimed. I could hear gunfire on his end.

"We read you, what's the situation?"

"Geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. Taking heavy casualties. Too hot for Normandy pick up."

"Commander, I need a couple minutes to finish arming. Go get them, meet me back here," Ashley suggested.

"Sounds good, Williams. Double time!" I began leading the others to run out rescue Kaidan and the Salarians. The Normandy withdrew as it was our only ticket out of here. Can't leave it as a sitting duck. We fought past another group of Geth hoppers and Krogan, and were making our way to the upper level. A Geth dropship was descending.

"Chief, dropship inbound to your location!" Kaidan called out. It then landed over them, and troops were already dropping out. We could hear the gunfire.

"Already here with a fuck ton of the bastards!" she responded.

"How bad, Williams?" I demanded.

"There's too many! Already taking casualties! Heavy! I don't think we can hold them!" Ashley answered. Grunting as she fired. Damn it! "I'm activating the nuke!"

"What the fuck are you doing, Chief?" I questioned. Damn it she's playing hero.

"Making sure the bomb goes off no matter what!"

"Ashley, I'm ordering you to-"

"Already done, Commander. Go get the Lieutenant, get the hell out of here." I gripped the nearby railing. Damn it!

Save Ashley, but leave Kaidan and the Salarian team to die, or save Kaidan and the Salarians, leaving Ashley to die?

"We can handle ourselves! Go back and get Williams," Kaidan tried to counter.

I have to save as many lives as possible. But it's not enough. It's never enough.

"Joker, meet us on the AA tower."

"Keelah…" I heard Tali murmur.

"It's the right choice, Commander. And, Tali?"

"Yes, Ashley?" Tali answered, I think she was crying. If slightly.

"Do me one last favor. Think about what I told you the other night, alright? You won't regret it, sister."

"I… I will." Tali relented.

"And Liara? Sorry I won't be able to give you those lessons, eh?" Ashley managed a chuckle. Liara just sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Ashley," I muttered.

"I understand, Shepard. I don't regret a thing. Not anymore, thanks to you all."

"Spirits guide you, Williams," Garrus stated.

"Honor to your clan, warrior," Wrex added.

"Come on guys, I don't really want to be crying in a firefight. Go, I'll make them pay," Ashley managed another chuckle. I gave the team a nod, and we moved. Shoulders slumped, but ready for action. We made our way towards the elevator that led up to the AA gun, and were completely flanking the Geth from behind, taking them by surprise. Only a handful, maybe a few more, of the Salarians were left. We put the Geth down, and heard a mechanical whirring. An electrical charge. We looked up. Saren was on some kind of hover pad and glowing blue. Fuck, he's biotic. I dove to the side to avoid a biotic attack, tried to fire off a few rounds, but was primarily running back into cover. I dove into some low cover back by the elevator. He had jumped off the pad, and was standing there, facing me. Why weren't the Salarians shooting? Did they not have an angle? I heard him snarl. Shit. I turned out of cover, rifle raised and ready. I fired a burst, but it all impacted his shields. He kept striding forward. Sovereign must have given him some sort of advanced shield generator. I lowered my weapon.

"This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat," Saren remarked. "Of course, it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake."

"Try me."

"You've seen the beacons, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?" Saren questioned. It was almost like he's pleading.

"You're a damn coward, Arterius!" Garrus exclaimed from behind cover somewhere. Saren ignored him.

"I'd rather die free than live as a slave. What makes you even think the Reapers will let us live?"

"Ah, there. Now you see why I never came forward with this to the Council. We organics are driven by emotion instead of logic. We will fight even when we know we cannot win. But if we work with the reapers, if we make ourselves useful, think of how many lives could be spared! Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign. Though I was aware of the… dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me." Under my helmet, I smirked. There it is. The chink in the armor.

"But you're just a tool, aren't you? One Sovereign can use and cast aside. You're afraid he's already gotten control of you," I pointed out.

"No. I've studied the effects of indoctrination. The more control Sovereign exerts, the less capable the subject becomes. This is my saving grace. He needs me to find the Conduit, so my mind is still my own. For now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will _not_ let it happen to me," he remained firm. At least, he appeared so.

"And what about the Conduit? You don't think it can be used to stop them?" I asked.

"It's the key to your destruction and my salvation. The only reason I have not been indoctrinated is that Sovereign needs my help to find it, so the Reapers can return. It cannot be used to destroy them.

"Why do the Geth follow him?" Tali questioned.

"They believe Sovereign to be some kind of god. The pinnacle of their own evolution. Ah, but the reaction of their deity is most telling: it is insulted. He doesn't desire the pitiful devotions the Geth hurl at it. They are just tools. And no amount of belief on their part will change that. But as tools, they are useful, and will survive the coming invasion. If organics life is to survive, we must do the same. We must work with them," Saren argued. He's already indoctrinated. I don't trust the Reapers. The shit Sovereign said? He plans to kill us all regardless.

"He's already manipulating you and you don't even know it yet. You're already under his power!" I accused.

"No! Sovereign needs me! If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve! It's my only hope!" Saren exclaimed. There was a mix of desperation, fear, and anger. Time to try something different…

"Saren. The entire Galaxy, together, we can stop him! Join me. We don't have to submit to them! We can beat them," I urged. He sighed.

"I no longer believe that, Shepard… The visions cannot be denied. They are too powerful. The only hope of survival is to join with them. The Reapers are machines. It thinks like a machine. If we can prove our value, we become worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion."

"You were a Spectre. You were sworn to defend the Galaxy. Then broke that vow to save yourself! You killed your friend, you killed countless innocents. All to save your own skin."

"I'm not doing this for myself!" Saren shouted back. "Don't you see? He will succeed! IT is inevitable! My way is the only way anyone at all will survive! I am forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed! But… you would undo my work. You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. And for that, you must die." Saren got back on his hover pad, but my squad, and the Salarians, had spent his monologue all getting in position. Surrounding him. Preparing biotics and tech attacks and gun fire. We unleashed them all. Biotics countering the effects of his shields as best they could, in addition to the tech attacks. Gun fire? He had to lower himself into cover on his pad often. I was plucked into the air and thrown to the other side of the platform. I skidded across the ground, and in the process, saw other bodies go flying back in the way I had just been thrown from. As far as I was aware, Saren and I were now the only ones by the edge. Saren's hands gripped my throat as I had tried to stand back up, and instinctively, I tried to pry them off. He was pushing me along right to the edge. With a single hand he was now holding me over the edge, and I was finding it harder to breath. A hand went down to the knife on my belt, and I quietly drew it out. An alarm began to blare and Saren's head turned. I took that chance to use the knife to slice right through his left wrist. He cried out in pain and clutched his stump, and I caught myself on the ledge, scrambling back up. I reached for my pistol, but he was already on the pad, and flying away. And the Normandy soared in.

We had to get the hell out of here.


	33. Mutiny

**Commander John Shepard**

We had held off the debrief as long as we could. Which was, unfortunately, only a few hours. We were sat in the meeting room, all of us, except for one glaringly obvious empty seat.

"How could we just leave her down there…" Kaidan murmured.

"She knew the risks going in. She chose to activate it early, chose to give her life for us," I answered quietly. Easier things to say than to believe.

"Why me? Why not her?" he asked, hinting at some bitterness.

"It wasn't just you and her, Kaidan. I had to choose between one life, hers, and over a dozen. You and the Salarians. But you, don't blame yourself, Alenko. My choice, not yours," I reminded.

"But maybe if I'd have done my job," he muttered.

"Wasn't. Your fault. Not mine. Just Saren's."

"Right. Yes sir. I'm…" he sighed. "We'll get it done."

"Shepard… apologies for interrupting, but I did check my notes. I have information on Illos. Images and references from my research. It's a hidden Prothean world, one we've never found, just heard of. Seen images of in other ruins. It is a treasure trove of Prothean civilization."

"We'll drop the Salarians off and move on Illos or not. I don't care if the Mu Relay is in terminus or not, we have a stealth drive, and there won't be any merc clans around Illos," I stated.

"You must alert the Council. Saren will undoubtedly have many defenses. We need a fleet, surely, Commander!" Liara pleaded.

"We'll figure it out. Dismissed." The crew began to stand.

"Commander, there's a comm buoy nearby. I uh… can link us in if you want to warn the Council. About Sovereign."

"Do it," I rubbed a hand over my face.

"Commander Shepard," the Councilors appeared in front of me, moments later. "We're pleased to hear your mission on Virmire was a success," Tevos began.

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of Krogan," Sparatus remarked.

"You got my report. The Krogan are just a footnote compared to the real threat I uncovered."

"Yes… we did indeed read this. Sovereign, a sentient AI. This news is quite alarming, if accurate."

What. I immediately scowled.

"I did include in my report about the indoctrination, right? The Salarians who went savage and tried to kill us, the ones who were looney as fuck in their cells, hell, bring it back to Benezia! You don't honestly believe this is in Saren or the Geth's capabilities, do you? I found another beacon there, goddamnit, and this time, it was a full, coherent message from a Prothean VI! Does none of this count for anything?!" I exclaimed.

"Watch your tone, Shepard," Sparatus warned.

"Councilor, a member of my team just died for this mission and the information I brought to you. Forgive me if I feel a bit pissed off that you're disrespecting both her and her sacrifice by tossing it all aside."

"It's still highly possible that Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. That is what we are suggesting. Our own intelligence has never turned up corroborating information."

"Dr. Liara T'Soni found evidence of an extinction cycle that has repeated there is evidence of the role of Indoctrination and its legitimate effects and dangers. Maybe your teams haven't found the same information. Maybe they haven't been searching the right places. Maybe the information is just now turning up and no longer hidden away. As far as I'm concerned, I have goddamn proof." I slammed my thumb down on the button to end the communication, right away.

"Joker, file the comm termination as signal loss," I ordered.

"Understood, Commander," I think he smirked.

"And see if you can get Hackett on the line."

"Calling him now." A few moments later, the Admiral's Hologram stood where Tevos' had.

"Commander, I just finished reading your report. I'm sorry about Williams. For what it's worth, she'll receive full honors," he reassured.

"I'm sure she'd be grateful." Hackett simply nodded.

"So, you think Saren might be indoctrinated?"

"I do. He's been researching it, and when he was monologuing, he was latching onto the fact that he wasn't yet. That he was still needed as he is. It was obsessive, almost. He said that the more control Sovereign exerts, the more mindless they become. Like the Husks. It might be that if I can make him realize it soon, Sovereign might not have enough control over him to prevent Saren from doing something to damage the Reaper's plans," I mused.

"Maybe. But your priority is stopping him, not redemption, you know that."

"Of course, sir. It's just an option on the table."

"What do the Council make of this?" I scowled.

"They don't buy any of it. They think Saren is playing me. Acting. What I don't understand is to what end they think it's to. I'm still hunting him, I still plan to take him down and stop him." Hackett began scratching his chin.

"I'm not sure. Either there's something we're not seeing, or the Council's just scared of a threat that, I have to admit, does sound utterly preposterous. That being said, I see the evidence. And I sure as hell am not the kind of person to see evidence of a threat and pretend it doesn't exist. Preparing for a threat, even if it never comes, still only makes us stronger," Hackett remarked.

"My thoughts as well, sir."

"Don't go to Illos just yet. I'll talk with our Ambassador, see if I can't talk to the Council themselves. I don't want you going to Illos alone if we can help it. If they don't play ball, we'll figure something out," Hackett suggested.

"Thank you, sir. And I'd like to be there for the funeral, if possible, sir," I requested solemnly.

"I'll pass along the family's contact info. I only just read the report, word hasn't been sent yet."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hackett out." The comms went down, and I sighed, slumping down into one of the chairs of the comm room.

"Joker, get us to the Citadel."

"Aye, aye." I left the comm room and made my way down to my quarters. Some of the general ship crew were eating quietly, mourning the loss of Ashley and the marines no doubt. I wasn't hungry. I sat down at my console and got to work on the letters. It's only right that their Commanding officer sends them. I accessed my terminal and began a draft. Eventually, after some pauses trying to find the right words, I came up with something that's the most I can do in a letter.

 _To the William's Family._

 _It is with great regret that I write this letter to notify you of the death Ashley. She gave her life to complete the mission, destroying an entire hostile facility with the bomb she armed. I wish I could tell you more about the operation, to explain just how crucial she was in the mission's success, but my investigation is still ongoing. I want you to know that myself and the crew considered Ashley a good friend, and respected her a great deal. She did not restore honor to the William's name, she added to the honor already prevalent. The honor instilled and upheld through your family's generations. Including Her grandfather._

 _If you would have us, my crew and I would be honored to attend the funeral once my investigation has been concluded._

 _Thank you, and my sincerest condolences for your loss._

It's going to be a long night…

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"It's been an honor, Commander. I wish you luck with the rest of your mission," Kirrahe stated, the two of us shaking hands as he and his men prepared to leave the ship.

"Likewise, Captain," I nodded as we ended the handshake.

"I never got the chance to say. Thank you for saving my men." Telling. Not 'my men and I.' Just his men. A good sign. I could only nod. Anything else I could think of saying just felt like it would be disrespecting Ashley and her sacrifice. The Salarians, took their leave. I sighed, watching them walk off, and returned to my quarters for a small drink. Just as I had it poured, I got a call. From Udina.

"Commander, you're getting your reinforcements. Come to the Council chambers. A cab is waiting outside your ship." Udina stated and then ended the call before I could even respond. I shot right out of my chair forgetting about the alcohol. I had to get going right now.

"Joker, keep the ship ready to leave," I ordered as I began hurrying my way up and out. Couldn't shake this nagging feeling though. It just seemed too easy.

The Council was already in session when I arrived, and I was catching my breath. Udina was standing at the end of the small walkway that those talking with the Council used.

"Good job, Commander. Thanks to you, the Council is finally taking real action against Saren," Udina began. But with a look. One I didn't like.

"The ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, as you believe, we will be ready for him," Tevos added.

"Yes, yes, that's great. But Illos-"

"And patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus systems," Sparatus continued. This isn't enough. Why would they say I'm getting reinforcements when this is all they're saying?

"And how many ships will be joining me at Illos?"

"Commander, Illos is only accessible through the Mu relay. Which is deep in Terminus. We send a fleet there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war," Valern countered. Fuck, I'm feeling a dagger in my back.

"We trade a war with Synthetics, Geth or Reapers or both, take your pick of what you believe, but a war against rogue, advanced Synthetics, or a war against scattered and disparate clans of mercenaries and pirates and slavers and warlords. One has the blatant intention of attacking, the other doesn't. Doesn't even seem like a choice to me," I argued.

"Now is the time for discretion, Commander," Udina began. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat This is over."

"No longer a threat?! Let me spell it the fuck out for you! G-E-T-H. They have fucking plasma weaponry! The only reason the Alliance tore through some of their fleets was because we outnumbered them, and we surprised them, utilizing the Normandy's stealth drive! The Galaxy shits on the Quarians for making the Geth, but what does that make you if you just continue to ignore them when they have the clear intention of attacking?!" I exclaimed. "At this point I don't fucking care too much if you buy the Reapers or not. But just pretending that a fucking invasion force of Geth isn't a goddamn threat?! What the actual fuck?!" I could hear my shouts echoing throughout the large, open chamber. "Sparatus, you're military! How the hell don't you see this?! You know what? Fuck it. I'll go after him myself."

"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. That isn't discreet," Valern began.

"You're pining that on me? Really? It was Kirrahe's plan in a situation where they lacked any other options. Because you sent a team to recon a missing team sent to recon! And he was breeding an army of Krogan for fuck's sake!"

"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that. But Illos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control," Tevos tried to calm.

"How much more of a deft touch can you get than the only ship in the goddamn galaxy with a stealth drive?! And, under control? A hostile force readying themselves to invade, preparing, building their strength? That's not under control! That's just sitting with your thumbs up your asses waiting for them to arrive in a battle that, one way or the other, will result in far more casualties!"

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense that Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go," Sparatus scowled.

"You're goddamn right I'm not."

"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"After everything I've fucking done…" I growled.

"It's just politics, Commander…" he trailed off. "You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded." I fucking lost it. My fist slammed right into Udina's cheek, knocking him right to the floor. and I stormed off.

We're all fucking dead.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

"Joker, what happened?" I asked the pilot. Not long before Shepard had stormed back on board, looking like he did after some of our Cerberus encounters, the readings in engineering showed the ship going under lockdown. And Joker was in the mess with a drink, alcohol, I believe. Not the cockpit.

"We've been duped, that's what," Joker grumbled. "The Council, Udina, they stabbed us in the fucking back."

"Keelah, what did they do?"

"Lied to Shepard about the Fleet reinforcements. Instead they're just patrolling borders and keeping the Citadel secure. Pansy ass bitches are apparently more afraid of pirates and slavers than the fucking Geth."

"And to think they'd have learned from us," I muttered. No wonder Shepard is angry.

"I fucking know, right?" Joker exclaimed. Then he sighed.

"Look, Shepard looked like he was about ready to punch a hole straight through a bulkhead. You seem to calm him down. Probably not a bad idea for you to do that."

"Ok… I can try," I answered, taking a deep breath as I moved to his quarters. I knocked on his door.

"Leave me the hell alone," he grumbled through the door.

"Shepard? Are you alright?" It was silent for about a full seven seconds.

"Come on in," he murmured. The door opened, he was sat at the table with a bottle of amber liquid and a hand on his forehead, slouched over. I took a seat beside him, raised my hand, hesitated, and rested it on his shoulder. He took a deep breath.

"You didn't deserve that, sorry."

"It's alright. Joker told me what happened."

"It's just… I'm appalled by the Idiocy. I already checked with Kirrahe, his own report lined up heavily with my own. He didn't encounter as much of the indoctrinated, but remember that Salarian we saved? Apparently, he escaped and made contact with Kirrahe. He's telling them what he told us and that was all put into the report. And just… I don't fucking get it! They've fucking doomed us all," he muttered with cold fury.

"I know it's common that when presented with a threat, many would just rather not believe it exists. Is there anything we can do to show them?" I suggested.

"Doubt Tevos would agree to a mind meld to see the vision. Even then, she'd probably still deny it and think I need to be locked up in a straight coat and a padded room," he remarked bitterly. "Tali, that vision… it's haunting. Absolutely haunting. I still see it in my dreams sometimes. When I space out sometimes, I see it. Slaughter, corpses, people running from Reaper fire. The ruins of grand cities. Hundreds of Reapers descending from a goddamn burning sky. The order changes, sometimes I don't see certain images, but always, it always ends the same way. I see a Reaper, bigger than all the others. First, I see four glowing eye things it has. Glowing orange. Then the silhouette of the Reapers, before it is lit up with a faint, red light. The vision zooms out, and I see… hundreds and thousands of Reapers. Clear as fucking day."

I… I have no idea what I should say. Maybe… I leaned onto Shepard, I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt… right. My right arm hooked around his side. He took another deep breath, his head rested against mine, and he brought his left hand to my left shoulder. Maybe I should tell him. Maybe there's a chance. Maybe-

His Omni-tool rang. My shoulders slumped slightly, and I lifted myself off his shoulder, so he could see what it was. He looked annoyed now. Very.

"John, make sure your crew is ready, and bring your ground team to meet me at Flux. Now. "

"I'll head there right away, David," Shepard answered, no longer annoyed. I wonder why they call each other by first name. "Attention all crew: Report to stations and stay at the ready. Ground team, meet me at the airlock in five," Shepard ordered over the intercom.

"He has a plan, doesn't he?" I asked.

"He must. He wouldn't send a message like that if he just wanted to talk," Shepard remarked.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you call one another by first name?" He managed a smile.

"He's been a lifelong friend of the family. He's like an uncle to me, we just go by last names on duty. He was actually the one who got me the commendation for the N7 program," Shepard explained.

"That explains how close you are," I mused.

"Hm. Don't know what I'd do without him," he murmured. We got moving. We got to the airlock, waited for the crew, and got a move on right to Flux. All Shepard told the others was all we really knew. Anderson wanted to see us. We got to the club, and the Captain waved us down. He was sat by himself, but with a seat for each of us at his table. We took our seats.

"Good, you're here. I heard what happened," he began.

"That son of a bitch did it with you, now he's doing it with me," Shepard turned sour.

"I tried to warn you, but you were already in the meeting by the time I caught wind. Now. They think it's over, but we both know it's not. You need to get to Illos no matter what. And I know how." Anderson leaned forward and got quiet. The thumping music always playing helped ensure none of this would be heard by others. "Citadel controls locked out all the Normandy's systems. You know that. But if we override the Ambassador's orders, we can bring the Normandy back online. You'll already be through a few relays before any ships even have orders to stop you," Anderson continued.

"So, what's the plan?" Shepard questioned.

"I need to be the one to free the Normandy, so that you and your crew can get the hell out of here the moment the lockdown is disengaged."

"Before we go any further. This is technically a mutiny. I know Hackett was offering to figure out something if the Council wouldn't play ball. Assuming it all goes right, we all get back alive, I'd rather not drag anyone else into charges of treason if the Council still wants to charge me," Shepard stated.

"Treason or not, I'm with you, Commander," Kaidan nodded.

"The Alliance might be pressured to do something, but I would expect it to be minor if anything. A slap on the wrist, so to speak. As for Wrex, Liara, Garrus, Tali? They won't be able to do anything with you. Not really," Anderson answered.

"I gave you my promise I'd help stop Saren. I'm not backing out now," I reassured.

"That bastard almost slipped through my fingers once during my investigation. There's no way in hell I'm not seeing this through," Garrus added.

"It's the right thing to do," Liara nodded.

"And you promised me Saren's head. I'm not missing out on a good fight. Or the chance to collect," Wrex grumbled.

"Joker was just as pissed about this as me, so I'd bet on him playing ball. I'll give the general crew a chance to bail," Shepard explained.

"They're your crew, Shepard. They've lost friends for this. They'll want to see it through," Anderson remarked. "So, the plan. I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control tower."

"Captain Anderson, with all due respect, that's suicide. You'd have to fight your way through the officers there. Even if you succeed, you risk killing good people," Garrus countered.

"Agreed. That's off the table." Shepard shook his head.

"Well, Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack the computer in his office, maybe I can override it," Anderson suggested.

"It's likely well secured. Are you sure you'd be able to hack through it?" I asked. It's risky after all.

"I'm an N7 like Shepard. I went through the same training he did. Even if the training is now out of date, I've kept my skills sharp and updated. I can do it."

"Then I think it's settled. Get into Udina's office. We'll get back to the ship. We'll let Hackett know about the situation while en-route," Shepard stated.

Anderson stood, Shepard followed suit, and we did the same. The two soldiers embraced, patting one another on the back.

"Good luck, son."

"You too, David."

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"We don't have much time, so I'm going to make this fast." The entire ship's crew was gathered in the mess, with the exception of Joker and Engineer Adams. Both were on board with the plan, and they needed to be ready in case the lockdown goes away before we expect. So, the drive core was online, and Joker was waiting with a finger hovering over the release. "We're going after Saren, and nothing is going to stop us. Not even the Council. The lives of everyone in this galaxy are on the line, and I can't just sit by and let it happen. This is technically a mutiny, I can't make any promises as to what will happen upon our return. All I can say is that Admiral Hackett is supportive. If you don't wish to partake, you can leave now, no shame. I would, however, decide quickly. The window is closing." A small handful of crew members murmured, to themselves or another, and I gave them what time I could. "Well?"

No one stood. No one left.

"I am damn proud to lead such a fine group of men and women. Everyone, too your stations.

"Someone has to keep you fed, hm?" Chef remarked, as he returned to his duties at the mess. I returned to my quarters, waiting to call Hackett the moment we were through the relay. Joker was already instructed to ignore or block all calls that weren't from Anderson or the Admiral. A few minutes later, I felt the ship jerk. Meaning we just turned hard. Hard enough the inertial dampeners couldn't, well, dampen it.

"We are away and full speed ahead to the relay. Stealth drive engaged," Joker informed through the intercom. A few minutes later, we hit the relay. Signified for those unable to see through the cockpit by a brief sensation of disorientation I immediately called Hackett.

"Commander, I've been waiting to hear from you. What's the word on the Citadel Fleet? Udina didn't give me much to go on," Hackett began.

"It's because they're full of shit, sir. Udina never arranged for a fleet to attack Saren at Illos, the Council just agreed to patrol their borders and reinforce the Citadel, then they grounded me and put my ship on lockdown. Anderson just got us freed. Not necessarily legally, I might add," I explained.

"Slimy bastard," Hackett murmured. "Where are you now?"

"Just jumped through one of the Citadel relays. I'm not sure which one but our destination is Illos. No delays, no waiting, no stopping. My team and I need to be groundside ASAP."

"Commander I can rally the fifth fleet to move on Illos but if you're not stopping there's no way in hell we'll be able to rendezvous," Hackett warned.

"Then don't. The Normandy can sneak us past the fleet and get us to the surface. The Normandy can then fall back and regroup." Hackett scratched his chin in thought.

"Let me check with my navigators. I don't want Geth forces just bypassing us. Depending on how fast Saren finds the conduit, they might just attack the Citadel right away. I need to find the best place for us to be able to move on either when the Normandy regroups."

"Understood, I'll be waiting."


	34. Tomb

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It has come to attention that during The Sacrifice, I cut off Saren's wrong hand. Should have been the left. You may see a notification of some other shit with that chapter, don't bother going back to read, that's all that's changed. Left hand cut off. Not right.**

 **Commander John Shepard**

Hackett's arranging for the Fifth Fleet to wait for the Normandy at a kind of crossroads. The system has a primary relay linked to the Citadel, and it has a primary relay linked to a system that's just one secondary relay and some FTL time from the Mu relay. But he was still pulling ships out of dock and getting the fleet in formation to move. Have to make sure none of them impact each other during transit. FTL or normal space. And a pecking order for the relay. As for us, we'd be at Illos by the end of the day, thanks to the fact we're going as fast as we possibly can. And I wanted to make sure everyone would be rested, so Chakwas distributed some mild sedatives. Enough to make us drowsy, not straight up knock us out. Yet Wrex's dose would be enough to put the rest of us in a coma. As everyone began heading for their sleeper pods, I stopped them.

"I just want you all to know, I couldn't wish for a better group of men and women to be by my side. I'm damn proud of you all. And I'm glad to count you all amongst my friends."

"I would never trade this pilgrimage for anything, Shepard," I could tell Tali was smiling.

"I gotta admit. Every day I'm here I get less and less sure about returning to C-Sec instead of just staying," Garrus remarked.

"This journey will stay with me all the way to the end of my life," Liara added.

"And I think I need to send the Alliance a thank you for this posting," Kaidan joked.

"You're a bunch of softies," Wrex smirked. "Fine, I enjoyed it. And that's all your getting out of me." We chuckled, and I took a deep breath.

"Well, I'll see you all when we wake up. Remember, an hour before we arrive. I want us suited and ready," I reminded. They nodded and moved towards their pods. I watched them, leaning against the wall. As Tali was getting into hers, she leaned her head out, and gave one last wave. Which I returned. The pod closed, and I got to my room, fell on my bed, and was out like a light.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

I stood in the cockpit behind joker, suited up, as we approached the Mu relay. The surrounding nebula nearly blinding us, if not for the faint, blue glow of the Relay getting closer and closer. Pressley was standing in the cockpit as well, partially watching, partially working at a terminal, while the crew waited in the Mako. Joker turned the ship to follow the relay's side, and only now did we see the structure itself, as Eezo arced out to our ship's drive core, overcharging it. Everything outside went nearly blinding white for less than a fraction of a second, and then, back to normal space. Just outside of a star system, according to the sensors. The stealth drive was immediately engaged, and Joker was already running a detailed scan.

"Average star, three planets, one of which is a gas giant. Singling out Illos for navigation, and… Geth ships, obviously. But… not nearly as many as I would think. It's a fleet, sure, but a small one," Joker explained.

"Sketchy, very sketchy. Saren knows something we don't," I murmured. "Get us in orbit, scan for both anything that might give away the conduit, and a hot drop close to it."

"Aye, aye." Joker answered, and the Normandy began speeding away, just under light speed. The same weird visual effect of the universe stretching out in front of us. Soon, we began slowing down, the universe returning to normal, the planet just ahead of us. And the silhouettes of several Geth ships.

"Getting strange readings from the planet's surface," Commander," Pressley informed.

"We'll start there. Lock in, find us an LZ," I ordered.

"Negative, Commander. Nearest LZ is two klicks away," Pressley warned. Shit, that's no good. We need improv.

"That's no good, we need to be closer," I shook my head.

"There isn't anywhere closer! I've checked! Double and triple!" Pressley exclaimed, stressed.

"There has to be somewhere we can drop in the Mako, even if it's on top of a roof for all I care, we can make it work," I urged.

"Sir, you need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull that off. The most I can find near those readings is twenty," Pressley reminded. Twenty? That's risky. Very risky. But… we need to try.

"Joker?"

"I can do it." He stated confidently. Calmly. No hint of humor, or anything remotely casual. Just the tone of a man who knows his capabilities. I patted him on the shoulder, gently, as to not break anything.

"Drop us right on top of that bastard's head." I ran down to the cargo bay, impatiently waiting on the elevator, and barged right into the Mako and got into my seat, turning the Mako on. No one needed to ask, it was obvious. We had a drop zone, and we'd be there soon. The bay doors opened.

"Uh… Shepard? Where's the drop zone?" Tali asked nervously.

"I see it. Don't worry," I reassured. "We got this." We were going down at an angle, a steep angle. The towering skyline of the abandoned city waited, and I could see a little sliver that was the LZ pointed out. Joker began the countdown. We were getting really close. The Normandy would nearly be scraping its underbelly as it turned back upwards. The countdown hit zero, and I slammed on the gas, the Mako exiting the ship, and falling. I could see movement. I could make out to of the figures to be armatures, and the others, Geth troops. Maybe even Saren. I magnified the view on the center of the group, and sure enough, the Turian was there. But he was different. I had no more time to see just what was different, I slammed my fist on the thrusters to try and stabilize. The group of Geth and Saren were moving inside a kind of tunnel. One that was now closing. The Mako slammed on the ground, hard, but the Mako remained intact as it bounced and skidded ahead, stopping just short of the now closed bulkhead.

"There's no way we're blowing that door open," Garrus groaned as he recovered from the impact.

"Saren found a way to open it, we just need to find it too," Kaidan suggested.

"The Cipher should help us find and activate it," Liara mused.

"Come on, we don't have any time to waste. Get moving," I urged the others out of the Mako. I couldn't help a momentary glare at the closed bulkhead. Old Prothean structures were, of course, everywhere. But oddly enough, they were all covered in old, greying, massive roots and vines. Nearly turning the skyscrapers into massive square trees. And everything appeared rusty.

Conveniently, behind the Mako was a small archway for us to walk through, but not large enough for the Mako itself. Three Geth troops immediately poured through, but our weapons were already prepared, and they fell. We had to step over their bodies to make our way through. A slightly larger plaza was on the other side, with large stone or metal blocks, and more Geth. And two Armatures. We spread out, taking out the Geth troops first.

"Focus on the left one first, then the right!" I ordered. Kaidan, Tali, and I hit it with a few overloads to short out the shields, and our gunfire, likely aided by the new Spectre weapons, tore through the armature. The platform sparking and collapsing as the lightbulb in its head went dark. If it wasn't for how thick this cover was, it probably wouldn't be nearly as easy for us. The moment one of us takes a hit to the shields, we can fall back into cover. And the charged shots? They have a hard time melting all the way through the large blocks. And once one had fallen, it made it that much easier to finish off the other. We continued along the only path available to us, and in a small, hall, for lack of a better description, the sides were lined with statues of long, spindly humanoid figures sitting on chairs. But these figures also had faces comparable to some kind of Cthulhu creature, the tentacles from which draped down at least as far as the legs.

"What are these creatures? I know they can't be Protheans," Liara murmured.

"Maybe Illos was the world of a previous cycle before the Protheans," I suggested.

"Maybe," Liara mused quietly. Continuing to hurry along, to the right was a slightly lower area with a few Geth troops and supply crates, and ahead, a raised platform with another Geth. We split our fire. Garrus took out the raised Geth, while the rest of us mowed down the Geth below, and we pushed forward and downward.

Hoppers ambushed us, my shields started shorting out and I felt my hair stand on end, thanks to an overload. But a few lucky shots from the rest of us, and they all hit the floor. I think a round impacted my armor, but the Hoppers weapons aren't terribly strong. I'll probably bruise, and I think my armor is a bit scorched, maybe even melted slightly, but it won't be of consequence. There was an entrance into the towering building just in front of us. And a switch inside the entrance way. We all got inside, and I pressed it. The door behind us closed, and we descended at an angle. An elevator.

"This place just feels… wrong," Tali murmured. "Unwelcome."

"This entire planet is a mass grave. There's still places on Earth with the same feeling, though the death is nowhere near this scale. The old German concentration camps like Auschwitz, or the nuked cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The dead here deserve to rest," I muttered.

"Thought you said you weren't religious, Shepard," Wrex remarked.

"Religious? No. Respectful to the dead? Yes. Maybe slightly spiritual, but even then, I'm still more of a skeptic," I shrugged. The elevator stopped, and we were quiet once more. The elevator exited into a narrow hallway. The left was the end, just a wall, and the right exited into a larger chamber, with another one of those weird statues. As soon as we reached the end of the hallway, Geth emerged. One of them, was just massive. Another bipedal, but larger than the juggernauts, and larger antennae on its backside.

"Geth Prime! Basically a Juggernaut, just stronger," Tali called out. At least it was slow as well. We were already spreading out, focusing our fire on the prime when we could, taking down smaller Geth troops the rest of the time. It didn't help that the weapon it carried was like a chain gun, spitting out round after round of plasma energy so quickly I couldn't keep track of just how much it was firing. Fortunately, it also had to spin up like a chain gun whenever it stopped firing, so at least it started slowing to give its target a chance to dive back into cover.

"Sabotage that shit, dammit!" I called out while I was pinned down.

"I'm trying! Its security is advanced!" Tali responded. Fuck it, let's try this. I took a grenade from my belt, primed it, and just as its attention was grabbed by another, I poked my head out and threw. I watched the grenade bounce off the Geth's chest and detonate, sending the weapon flying away with a piece of Geth arm. The Prime made a chattering noise, and under our combined fire, uninterrupted fire, the Prime didn't last long. I took a deep breath as the firefight came to a close. We started to continue and noticed just what lined the sides of the room. Folded up armatures.

"Wait, they're undergoing repair. We shouldn't waste our time," Tali stated.

"Think it'll take long enough?"

"Look ahead, the hall at the end is a dead end, and not by rubble. There's upper levels, and likely where our path continues. They won't be able to follow us," Tali explained. I looked ahead, saw she was right, and nodded.

"Good eye. Let's move." We found our way up, and in a small chamber with several terminals. All damaged or even uprooted. Except for one. It's interface still glowed, if flickering. I approached it, reading one of the buttons on the interface as, 'open Archive bulkhead.' I didn't even take the time to contemplate how I could read it.

"Commander? We need to keep mo-" Kaidan began. Static broke out.

"-too late." More static. "-unable to-" the static continued, and oddly regular intervals. "-invading fleets-no escape-"

"Some kind of message. Must be in Prothean. If only we could-" Garrus began.

"Shh," I interrupted. I continued to listen.

"-ot safe," must be 'not safe. "-seek refuge-side the archives." Not safe, seek refuge inside the archives. "-Called Reapers. -Citadel-erwhelmed. Only hope-" Citadel overwhelmed. Hm… The voice of the recording changed. From a lighter voice, to a deeper voice. But it was still filled with static. "-act of desperation-the Conduit-all is lost." the recording paused.

"Long story short, a warning about the Reapers. Something about the Conduit. Not much else," I explained to the others.

"Cannot be stopped-Cannot be stopped!" The recording repeated. The voice of whoever made the recording filled with fear.

"Goddess…" Liara murmured.

"The Cipher must have transferred knowledge of the Prothean language to you both. What did it say at the end?" Tali asked. Liara and I glanced at each other.

"You don't want to know." I shook my head, and continued on, the others following me. Another elevator, but this time, bringing us upwards.

The elevator brought us back outside, but much closer to where we landed. The same plaza where we took down the pair of armatures. Both convenient that it leads here, and inconvenient it wasn't already online. We rushed back into the Mako.

"Garrus, shoot at anything that moves," I ordered, as I brought the Mako back online and began speeding us along. The roots and vines covered and broke through stone even down here. We went down, and then into a massive, lengthy corridor, the lines all lined with some kind of tubes sticking out from the sides. All in neat, orderly rows and columns.

"By the goddess," Liara whispered. "Those are stasis pods, all of them."

"Wait, you're saying, there's a Prothean inside each of them? Alive?" Kaidan questioned.

"No… Not alive, I'm afraid," Liara revealed, clearly sad. "I can see displays along them. Alerts, loss of power. They're all dead."

"Oh… well, shit," Kaidan murmured.

"Keelah," Tali muttered. We reached the end of that hall and were brought down into another hall after a brief incline. The hall was much the same as the last, lined with more and more stasis pods. All with similar displays.

"We're not inside a bunker. We're not inside Archives, like the display labeled this place. We're inside a tomb," I stated quietly, a chill running down my spine.

"Geth at the far end, going loud," Garrus informed, as rounds began pinging off our shields. Garrus opened fire with the MG. Even when we reached the end of the hall and began descending again, he had only just finished off the Geth waiting for us. There was yet another hall, but this time, at the far end, was a yellow energy barrier blocking our path. Waves of the energy, flowing, were even visible.

"Stay ready Garrus, this might be Saren's trap," I warned. Garrus didn't respond, but the turret he manned was swiveling as he scanned for hostiles. Just as we reached the barrier, another hummed to life behind us. And a side door opened. No Geth emerged.

"I don't think Saren's behind this," Tali murmured. Inside, was another switch like that in the elevators.

"Everyone… out. Follow me," I ordered. I had debated for a moment whether or not to leave some of them here, but… something compelled me to bring them all with me. I'm not sure what. With us all inside, the elevator began descending, all on its own. It came to a stop, and ahead there was a small catwalk leading to a console. More stasis pods lined the walls, and roots had broken through the far end of the chamber. As we approached the console, a hologram flickered to life. Taking the form of a Prothean with an orange glow. Four eyes, flat, plated head, pointed face. Dressed in robes of some kind. I double checked my armor cam. Online, and recording. I'll need to make sure of that whenever I find something the Council may doubt.

"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons," the Hologram spoke.

"A… a working, Prothean VI… I… I can't believe," Liara exclaimed.

"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you." The VI continued. Well, that's good. I can breathe a bit easier, I suppose. "Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."

"Wait, how can I understand you? Why aren't you speaking Prothean?" Tali questioned. Good, that's something I had forgotten to consider. That this VI would be speaking Prothean, and incomprehensible to any who watched.

"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. Combining updated information, with that of language data gathered by observatories by your home worlds, I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe," The VI, Vigil, explained.

"Why did you bring us here?" I questioned.

"You must break the cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of your government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is in truth an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the Galaxy's horizon. When it is activated, the entire Reaper armada will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed," Vigil continued. Well… fuck… The Citadel is the end goal here.

"How do the Reapers mask the Citadel's true nature?" Liara asked.

"The Reapers are careful, it is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers. The Keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the Keepers ensures that no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade." Goddamn, that's genius. And terrifying.

"If they pour through, they take the bulk of our fleets by surprise, they wipe out our infrastructure, some of our top Command, they cut us all off from one another," I listed off.

"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. And from the Citadel, the Reapers took control of the entire Mass Relay network. They could activate and deactivate them at will, isolating any system, or systems, they desired. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. We were easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the following decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."

"Saren, the indoctrinated agent you detected earlier, claims that those who surrender, who make themselves useful, could survive. Is there any truth to that?" I asked.

"Commander, you're not considering-" Garrus began.

"Of course not, Garrus. But it'll help to know," I reassured.

"No offer of surrender was ever given. Some tried, but they were either slain or indoctrinated. Our enemy has a single goal. The extinction of all advanced organic life. Once their task was concluded, they departed the Galaxy, and left their indoctrinated agents to starve, mindlessly."

"Well, there's the motivation to just keep fighting, there's no other alternative," I remarked.

"Indeed. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. No settlement was safe. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others, conquered, their populations either used as indoctrinated labor, or indoctrinated ground troops. Some, indoctrinated agents that could hide among surviving settlements, and further arrange their destruction," Vigil continued. Their task took centuries, but they completed it relentlessly, restlessly. Brutal, and absolutely thorough.

"Why do the Reapers do this? What do they get out of this?" I questioned, confused. It doesn't seem like they gain anything. Just death.

"We do not know. Perhaps organics never will. In the end, it matters not. Your survival depends on stopping them, not understanding them." Well, true enough.

"How do we break the cycle?" I asked.

"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind Mass Relay technology. Illos was a top-secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a Mass Relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the network. They succeeded."

"It's not a weapon, it's a back door!" Garrus exclaimed.

"How did Illos stay hidden? You said they had access to all data."

"All official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. It was near miraculous. While the Prothean empire came crashing down, Illos was spared. We severed all outside communication, and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, all were put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger was passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling."

"Cold… but, that gave us a chance, didn't it?"

"It did. Per my programming, per my orders, I was forced to begin disabling the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay," Vigil added.

"Goddess, there were hundreds of pods out there. And you… shut them all down?" Liara questioned, appalled.

"It was an unfortunate necessity. Understand, Prothean society was Collective. Even in times of peace, one would gladly give their life for the betterment of the Empire, to save an individual of higher rank. All were aware of the risks. All were aware of my programming. My programming is the only reason any hope remains. Upon waking, the researchers realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals remaining. Far too few to sustain a viable population. They vowed to find a way to stop the Reapers from returning. To break the cycle. And they knew the Keepers were the key. They completed the Conduit, and travelled to the Citadel. Understand that the Keepers are controlled by the Citadel, not the Reapers. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station, compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel Relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. After they journeyed through the Conduit, they made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers remain dormant in Dark space. But be warned, even if you stop Sovereign from reactivating the Citadel, the Reapers will simply resolve themselves to travel to this Galaxy through normal space."

"And how would Sovereign regain control?"

"The one you call Saren will bypass the Citadel's defenses using the Conduit. Once inside, he will transfer control to Sovereign. From there, he can do what the Keepers failed to do."

"How do we stop it?" A disc popped out of the console Vigil was beside.

"Take this data disc. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."

"And where would this master control unit be located?" I asked, as I took the disc and secured it within my armor, starting the process of copying its data to my Omni-tool, just to be safe.

"Saren will lead you to your destination," Vigil answered.

"Wait, you are a treasure trove of information on the Protheans. Please, your databanks will be of great value," Liara urged. Vigil paused.

"I have linked to the computer upon your wrist. Your 'Omni-tool.' You do not have time to wait for the transfer to complete. So long as you remain on Illos, files will continue to be uploaded. If you succeed, and I remain online, return, and we can complete the exchange," Vigil explained.

"Before we go, I need to ask questions. To understand, right? Was Sovereign some kind of sleeper agent left behind? Like a supervisor?" I asked.

"That is a logical assumption. It would evaluate the state of Galactic civilization to decide when the time was right."

"He's been subtle, manipulative, working from the shadows. Does this mean the Reapers are vulnerable?"

"Yes. The Protheans did manage to destroy some Reapers during the invasion. Unfortunately, the numbers are far too few to make a difference for you. Your odds shall be far superior to our own when the Reapers lose their most powerful weapon. Surprise, confusion, and isolation. But your victory will certainly not be certain."

"And what of the Protheans who travelled to the Citadel? What happened to them?"

"After their success, I do not know what became of them. I fear they suffered a slow, grim death."

"Thank you, Vigil. We need to move," I ended.

"The one you call Saren has not yet reached the Conduit. You still have time. Make the most of it. From the final wishes of the one who imprinted their personality upon me, Facility Head Kshan Ishan, good luck," Vigil stated, and then it's hologram faded. We rushed back to the Mako, the elevator automatically began bringing us up, and once inside the Mako, we were again speeding along. Everyone was quiet. We had a lot to think about.

At the base of yet another descent, Geth were waiting. Some with heavy weapons. But Garrus was already mowing them down. The descent led back outside, and part of the road had collapsed into a water way below. One still flowing. It was wide, though debris littered the sides, along with more roots. Fortunately, we had more than enough space to maneuver. We followed the water, even down a relatively steep slope that only served to speed us along. Geth waited around a bend, even a Colossus. I just kept driving, full speed ahead. The turn of the Mako around the next bend managed to sweep the front right leg of the Colossus out from under it, but I didn't look back to see if it had broken it. Tali quickly got to work on restoring the shields. Eventually, a few more Geth troops attempted to take us down, but they were easy pickings for the MG, and we were making our way down yet another long straight-away. Around the bend at the end, there was another slope down. And as soon as we reached the top of that slope, we saw it.

The Conduit.

"It's a Mass Relay, looks exactly like one. Just, smaller," Liara exclaimed.

"Impressive, but no time to Gawk. Tali, shields?"

"Fully charged."

"Divert all power to shields and engine. Sorry Garrus, powering down your toy," I ordered.

"On it," Tali began typing away. And I, began driving.

"Oh, for fucks sake! Really? How many Colossi is that?!" Kaidan exclaimed.

"Too fucking many to fight, why I'm powering right on ahead," I yelled back, just ignoring the gunfire impacting the Mako.

"Shields dropping rapidly! I can't keep them up, Shepard!" Tali warned anxiously.

"Then transfer it all to engines! Everything! Now!" The Mako got faster, and faster, but I could now feel the rounds impacting the vehicle. But we were almost there. The Conduit was right there. Just one platform to climb…

Eezo reached out to the Mako and the displays all began shorting out. The Mako was plucked into the air, and then everything went white.


	35. Sovereign

**Commander John Shepard**

The brief moment of white vanished, and instead, as the displays flickered back on, we were looking at the Presidium. Specifically, the elevator up to the Citadel tower, and two Geth standing guard. We crashed right into them, and the Mako rolled over, damage indicators showing that all of the wheels had come loose, while two had just been torn off entirely. Not to mention the engine was absolutely fried.

"Well, any landing you can walk away from," I interrupted myself with a cough. "Is a good one, right? Ugh, come on, let's crawl on out." The back door was jammed, but we managed to open the emergency door that was on the right side. Making us crawl out from underneath the Mako. I noticed that the statue of the Mass Relay was still glowing, but spinning down, going dormant again. Hm, all this time. The others were still climbing their way out.

"You know, people may talk shit about this tank, because it handles like a goddamn drunk Rhino," Kaidan began. "But those people don't yet know it can survive mass relay transit."

"Barely," Garrus grumbled. "There goes all my hard work. Took me a month to get its sights calibrated just right."

"Hmph, so that's what you were doing all the damn time," Wrex remarked. I then allowed myself to get a good look at the Presidium. Large impact holes on the sides and some of the bridges, no sky cars in side. Fires spreading amongst the plants. And… fuck. Dragon's teeth just by the elevator. Occupied by Husks. We readied our weapons and shot them all before they even began lowering. When we neared, and they did, the husks simply fell over. And the Avina terminal was still blathering.

"Anderson! Anderson, you read me?" Nothing. Comms are probably jammed. We got to the elevator, and, somehow, it was still online. The moment we got beyond the Presidium ring, we were provided with a view to the battle outside. The Citadel fleet had been caught by total surprise. The wreckage of several ships, Turian, Asari, Salarian, and even a few Human ships committed to the defense fleet, floated beyond the ward arms. I wasn't seeing many Geth casualties, but I could see the Destiny Ascension appearing to retreat. Likely with the Council aboard. I then saw that the Citadel arms were closing. Come on… faster… faster…

Sovereign, absolutely dwarfing it's Geth escort, appeared through the clouds of the Nebula. Turian ships moved to intercept. Cruisers and Dreadnaughts. Sovereign literally being lit up by all the fire being poured on it. The Reaper didn't stop. The escort took out one of the ships, and another began veering to the side to try and avoid the massive metal Cuttlefish bastard. It wasn't fast enough, and Sovereign impacted it, without even a scratch, looks like, as the Turian ship was utterly destroyed.

"Spirits…" Garrus muttered.

The arms were still closing. And it was too late. They closed just behind him. Sovereign slowed himself down and began opening up his arms to land at the Citadel tower, we strained out necks to look up and try to get a view. We could see his massive arms grabbing hold of the tower, and the, the elevator stopped.

"Make sure your suits are locked, then activate mag boots. We're going out!" I ordered. Once everyone gave me the all clear, I took out my rifle, and shot the elevator glass, shattering it. The glass splintered out and spread into the vacuum. The decompression of the chamber was instant, but the mag boots kept us secure. Carefully, we stepped out onto the side of the tower, reorienting ourselves. Sovereign loomed ahead, making us all feel very, very small. I shook my head to bring my focus back to the task at hand, and led the others off the elevator shaft, which was blocked on our end up ahead, to the maintenance walkway along the side. It led us down partially inside the Citadel Tower structure, still following the elevator shaft.

Thanks to the soundless vacuum of space, we didn't hear another elevator rushing up behind us, and then coming to a sudden stop, and glass shattering, smoke blowing out. I wasn't sure if that was just some accident or not, but Geth stepping out confirmed that it was very much a deliberate act. Fortunately, it was less than a handful of troops, and a rain of gunfire put them down. It was slightly comical seeing the Geth bodies just go limp where they stood, being flown backwards slightly, floating in the 'air' as their mag boots came offline. But returning outside, it was rather eerie that we simply couldn't hear any of it. Not even Sovereign, his legs occasionally moving and pressing against other parts of the tower. A Krogan with a pair of Geth emerged to try and stop us, but Garrus' sniper makes short work of them, and the Geth fell almost just as quickly. We turned a corner to find Geth in the process of fortifying more of the maintenance walkway, the way up to a larger, more open area. Biotics plucked them from where they stood, though it took more out of our biotics to counter the mag boots, so we focused on just using our guns and tech attacks. As we tore through them and found our way at the top of the ramp the Geth were fortifying, we found that there weren't any others waiting. Not here. They wisely used all forces available to try and stop us, rather than a staggered, ineffective buffer.

We followed the path, and we were nearly under the furthest of Sovereign's legs. Really hope he doesn't decide to start mashing us with those. Ahead, a Geth Destroyer began charging at us, but our combined gunfire took him down, but inertia and momentum is a funny thing. While it's lights flickered, he began floating up, but still towards us, forcing us to duck as he soared overhead.

"Fly away, little Bosh'tet," Tali murmured. We turned the corner the Destroyer came from just as a Geth shuttle was coming in. Miraculously, this segment had defense turrets. Three of them.

"Kaidan, Tali, get the closest turrets online. Rest of you, cover me for the furthest," I ordered. Tali and Kaidan immediately began running for their respective turrets, while the rest of us made the most of the time we had before the Geth began descending. I was halfway to mine when the first troop came out from the dropship underbelly, but Garrus, Wrex, and Liara were already shooting. So, I finished my sprint.

"Got it!" Tali called out.

"Mine too!" Kaidan added. I saw as a pair of missiles impacted the shuttle. I opened the control panel. Turned out, for me, it was as simple as giving it my Spectre clearance. I suppose the Citadel's defenses, at least aside from the arms, aren't something he cares about right now. The turret came online and joined the next barrage from the turrets as I helped kill any Geth dropping down. The dropship was smoking now, chunks of armor having been blown off. It was starting to drift slightly. While the next set of missiles ruptured a fuel line, and the dropship detonated in a chain reaction to the drive core, metal shards exploding out in all directions.

"Everyone clear?" I questioned. I got confirmations from the whole team, and we re-grouped, following the path the dropship had been blocking. We were now past Sovereign's leg, technically meaning we were under him. It may well have just been me, but I felt a weight pushing down on me.

Two Krogan and two Geth destroyers tried to stop us. Garrus took down one of the Krogan, while I focused my rifle on the other. The two Destroyers didn't last long under the other's gunfire. But just as those hostiles fell, a Juggernaut and another Destroyer joined the fray, forcing us to the sides of the pathway into cover. No orders were required. Tech attacks fried it's shields, but the Destroyer had its chance to get up close and personal.

"Keelah!" Tali exclaimed, as she fired a blast from her shotgun point blank into its center. Its torso might as well have exploded backwards, as the shotgun just absolutely tore through everything. Needless to say, it killed it, and we returned our focus to the Juggernaut. The bastard collapsing quickly under our focus, and its lack of shields. We turned the next corner, and now it was our turn to deal with turrets. These were Geth turrets that they had set up, not Citadel ones that had been taken over.

"I'll hack one," Tali reassured, getting down in cover as she opened her Omni-tool. The rest of us pushed ahead into what was essentially a trench, which provided decent cover against the turrets, but also made it difficult to shoot at the Geth further along. We were getting to a stand-still.

"Got it!" Tali called out. We looked up to see the closest Geth turret turning around and fire a missile at one of the other two turrets. Then turn slightly more, and fire at the next. Both turrets exploded as the missiles impacted, leaving us clear to move and take down the other Geth, as the turret even turned on them. We had lost some time there, so we ran to make up for it. By the time we reached the end of this sprint, we were well and truly under the Reaper now, but we still had further to go. The walkway continued back down to follow the elevator shaft, and that's when we saw it. Red emergency lights revealing a way back inside. We'd be one floor beneath the Council chambers. I got down, and pulled open the hatch, and we climbed inside, the gravity inside the station righting us up, and leaving us clear to disengage mag boots inside the airlock. We were, unfortunately, forced to let it run its course. We were still right beside the elevator but ran up an adjacent staircase. It was time to end this.

* * *

 **Saren Arterius**

If the task at hand were not so crucial, I would have shut off that infernal alarm long ago. But unlike me, unlike organics, Sovereign is not bothered by noise. I heard gunfire, the Geth alerting me to intruders. There's only one man it could possibly be. Just a little more, and I can save them. I can save so many, but most importantly, I can save them. Sovereign will spare them. He will spare me. That was the promise. It's all we have. I felt another surge of pain at my left wrist. Phantom pains, as they're called. A glance was thrown at my left arm, it looked just like that of a Geth now. Not just my hand was replaced by machine, but the entire arm. The procedure was not pleasant. But it didn't stop there. My eyes had been enhanced with cybernetics, as had my mandibles. To make them stronger. The left side of my torso, even. I no longer had a stomach, or a heart. Not my original, at any rate. But mechanical pumps, and a nutrient dispenser that essentially rendered my intestines useless. This was the alliance between organic and machine. My head pulsed with pain, putting me back on task. A punishment for even a temporary loss of focus. It's not a good sign, but… I'm still needed to be fully autonomous, right? The gunfire stopped, and I heard footsteps surging up the staircase behind me. I shut off the display and stepped forward, off the platform onto the Geth hover pad. I waited, long enough to make Shepard and his team hesitate, to begin to move. I primed a grenade, took the pistol from my belt. The hover pad whirred to life and shot up. The moment they came into view, I tossed the grenade. A Human, leading a Turian, a Krogan, an Asari, another human, and even a Quarian. Such an unlikely team. Unfortunately… or… fortunately? My head pulsed with pain again, but Shepard and his crew had all dove to the side, into cover, protected from the blast. Still, I had the elevation, I had the advantage.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," I began. I could see his shoulder armor, the top of his helmet, poking out of cover. Both would make poor targets.

"Had to wipe out a few hundred of your followers, sorry if I kept you waiting, honey," Shepard retorted. Hm, Humans. Keeping a sense of humor, retaining confidence, even at times such as this? Almost admirable.

"You've lost, Shepard. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel's systems. The relay will open, the Reapers will return," I reminded. Before I could continue, to get to my point, the human spoke up.

"Oh yeah? Wouldn't be too sure about that. Picked up a little gift on Illos. I can kick that Reaper's metal ass right out of the station's systems."

He can? Then, maybe- My head pulsed with pain again. _The Cycle cannot be broken._ The whispers reminded. The damned whispers. The whispers continued, telling me what to say. I barely even noticed, and I bore no resistance. There was no point.

"You survived our encounter on Virmire, but I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has… upgraded me. I'm sure you noticed."

"Yeah that's what I thought you let him do, you fucking idiot," Shepard remarked. No, I can't let him continue. I can't let him speak. I must try to convince him. I can't let him convince me. Their lives depend on it.

"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said about Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts were eating away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us, and Sovereign will find a place for you too," Sovereign offered. Through me.

"If you weren't indoctrinated before on Virmire, you sure as hell are now. You're implanted with Reaper tech for fuck's sake! And just like that, your doubts ate away? Saren, you _know_ goddamn well he's got you now." My mind… it's a mess, a jumble. I can't let him be right.

"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined. A union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destination. Join Sovereign, and experience a true rebirth!"

"He. Hasn't. Won. Not yet. I can stop him, Saren! Step aside, and the invasion won't happen!" Shepard continued.

"We can't stop it, Shepard! Not forever! You saw the visions, you saw what happened to the Protheans! The Reapers are too powerful!"

"With the element of surprise! By taking control of the Relay network! If we stop that now, if we spend however long it takes for them to get here, preparing for them, knowing they're coming, we stand a chance, Saren! Don't give in! Some part of you must know we can do this! Fight it!"

"I… Maybe… maybe you're right. Maybe there's still a chance for-" the whispers turned to a roar. My head felt like it was going to explode. My body surged with pain, all coming from the implants. I nearly fell to my knees; the pain was so great. I sputtered, losing control. "The implants…" I coughed. "I'm sorry. Sovereign is too strong! It's too late for me…" The pain subsided. There was my absolute confirmation.

I am a slave. And everyone is going to die.

Shepard stood, and dropped his pistol.

"It's not over, Saren. Not yet. You can redeem yourself."

Heh, redemption. I've done too much to ask for redemption. I don't even know if I regret the things I've done. I did them all for Galactic security. But… I know two things I don't regret, even if I regret what I've done to them. My grip tightened around my pistol. I knew what I had to do. I began to raise my pistol, but it was angled upwards, not towards Shepard. But towards my own chin. Sovereign again roared, demanding that I shoot Shepard, that I obey. It hurt. It hurt so much, but I didn't care. I ignored it. It would all be over soon. And, I do this not for me. I do this for two people, people I left behind, but have still kept an eye on for all these years.

"Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you." I placed the barrel of my pistol under my chin.

I'm sorry, I left you. I'm sorry my actions nearly brought about the ruin of all. Including you. Vetra. Sideris. I hope Shepard's actions will save your lives. My daughters, Nyx.

I pulled the trigger, my eyes already closed, and the last thing I saw, was the memory of me holding my baby girls, years apart.

 **Commander John Shepard**

"Jesus fucking Christ," I murmured. I didn't expect that. Saren's body fell back through the glass, shattering it, and his hover pad fell down beside him. I approached the haptic display of the control panel which had appeared, and removed the data disc from my secure pack. I looked for a place to insert it, and a strange pillar rose up to chest level, bearing a slot big enough for the data disc. I inserted it, and the pillar returned back down, and the display turned green rather than orange. Prothean text scrolling across, too fast for me to read. The parts I did see was code. Numbers. Then, all in a moment, it stopped. The screen read: 'Input Command.'

"I got it! I'll get the arms open, and I'll call the Hackett. Open comms," I ordered. 'Communications unscrambled,' scrolled across the screen.

"Shepard, that didn't go through the translators. You just spoke Prothean," Garrus exclaimed.

"Well shit," I muttered, impressed.

"Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down forty-percent. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board!" an Asari, likely an officer on the ship, was broadcasting a distress.

"Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to Commander Shepard. Normandy to anyone, respond!" Joker's voice poked through.

"Joker! I read you! We have control of the Relay network and the Citadel!" I informed.

"What? Never mind, tell me later. We caught that distress call. I'm here in the Andura sector with the Fifth Fleet, but the Relay won't respond. Send us in, we can save the Ascension, take down the Geth fleets," Joker suggested.

"We may need those ships for Sovereign," Wrex murmured.

"Doesn't matter, we have lives to save. I'm opening the relays," I stated. "Unlock relays around the Citadel," I ordered the console. "Open Citadel Arms." 'Relays unlocked. Citadel arms opening.' The console read.

"Relays active! We're coming through!" Joker exclaimed.

"Alliance ships, move in! Save the Destiny Ascension!" Hackett broadcast his orders.

"Display the battle outside the station." The console's display then split in two. One half for orders, the other, a camera feed from the station. Alliance ships moving through the nebula clouds, getting in position. The Destiny Ascension was getting swarmed and coming under heavy fire. I smiled as I saw the Normandy at the head of the Fleet. The nebula must have hidden the fleet from Geth sensors long enough, as they weren't moving to open fire on the Alliance, or even moving. But once ships started firing, bursting through the clouds, then they reacted. Too late. Torpedos and Mass Accelerator rounds, including those from the main guns of Dreadnoughts were impacting Geth ships, carving through them like Paula Deen wielding a hot knife in a room made of butter. Unfortunately, some Geth ships were able to return fire. Two Alliance ships had gone down by the time the exchange was over. Despite how heavily the Citadel fleet had taken a pounding, they had still managed to pick off a significant portion of the Geth fleet. Now, what remained of them, including the Destiny Ascension, were saved, the remainder of the Geth fleet neutralized.

"The Citadel's opening! All ships, move in. Fire on Sovereign," Hackett ordered. I turned to the others.

"We won't have much else to see. Let's… Let's check on him. Make sure the job's done," I ordered. We jumped down, biotics softening the fall, and slowly approached the body. Wrex pulled his pistol out and shot him twice more in the head. Blood had already made quite a pool around him, and the lights from the Reaper tech were dim.

The station began to shake, and electricity filled the air, making my hair stand on end. A bolt of red lightening impacted Saren's body, causing it to convulse violently, the Reaper tech glowing straight back to life. It sounded like Saren was screaming, but his Flesh was burning away, and then, it burst, the shockwave knocking us all back to the wall. The body began to stand. The only thing that remained, were the implants. A metal skeleton, more or less. Long talons, long, spindly arms and legs, a hollow chest, and a metal skull. It roared, and then jumped to the wall like a Geth hopper. We rushed to our feet and opened fire. Something inside his chest was firing small explosive rounds, but fortunately, not that rapid fire, and we could avoid them without too much issue. Odd, however, that this… thing, wasn't leading its shots. He kept hopping around like a mother fucker, and we kept shooting as best we could.

"Sovereign's firing back! One shot just tore through a goddamn cruiser!" An officer in the fleet called out. Shit, we need to fucking end this now. Us, and them. "He's too strong, we have to pull back!"

"Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter the cost!" Hackett ordered. We returned to the task at hand. This thing's shields were strong but faltered under our concentrated fire. I was concerned that even hitting the bastard itself wouldn't do much. But, well, we'd just have to try, won't we? Aim for the head when possible. It jumped again, but some shot must have gotten lucky, as the skull just shattered, and the body flipped, tumbled, ending up on its back, and once more engulfed by the red… energy? It left nothing but ash and scorch marks.

"What… the actual fuck," I muttered. Let's get back up there." We returned to the control panel, using a maintenance door to exit the small garden down here. I figured I'd still need to do something to keep Sovereign at bay.

"The hell? Sovereign's shields are down! He's gone limp, adrift! Now's our chance!" Joker called out. Holy shit. We did it? Did Sovereign put too much power into Saren's body?

"Hit it with everything we've got!" Hackett bellowed.

"Oh yeah!" Joker laughed. "Shit's working! Firing torpedoes!" A moment passed. "Ha! Hell fucking yeah! Killing blow, motherfuckers!" Joker couldn't stop laughing. "Bastard's breaking up like a Piñata!" We started cheering. Laughing. Everything. I looked out at the large window at the back of the Council chambers. Shit. Some of the shrapnel was heading right for us.

"Everyone, jump back down!"

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

It had been an hour before a rescue team arrived. We were all trapped down in the same garden we fought Saren in. In the maintenance corridor separating the garden we fought Saren's body in, and the rest of the Council chambers. And because of the haste, not all of us landed comfortably. Nothing to really be concerned with. The worst just being a sprained ankle. When they did find us, it was easy, as we were able to broadcast to them. And when the team did arrive to dig us out, pulling away chunks of Reaper, I couldn't help the grin when I saw David at the head of the group. I stood, met the man, and we embraced, just, laughing.

"Damn good work, son. Damn good work. Now, the Normandy isn't far. Chakwas will want to look everyone over, but some people want to speak to you there as well," David began.

"Who?"

"You'll see."

"Secrets, huh? Alright." I turned back to help Tali stand, as she just so happened to have been the one to sprain her ankle on the fall. One of the medics offered to take my place.

"No, no. I got it."

"He's got it," Tali chuckled. I couldn't help but notice Anderson's smirk.

"Guess I won't be getting his head to mount on my wall," Wrex grumbled.

"Sorry big guy. You can get the next big ol' baddie to start fucking up our day, alright?" I offered.

"Damn well better," Wrex chuckled. Tali giggled against me.

"So… you'll be going back to the Fleet?" I asked sadly.

"I…" Tali paused.

"Don't worry about it. I'll… uh… we'll… miss you," I muttered awkwardly, as I almost gave it away, I think.

"Well… maybe… I think maybe I want to stay a little while," Tali revealed. "Just… I don't want to go just yet." I couldn't help but smile.

"I think you just made my day, Ms. Zorah."

"And saving the galaxy didn't?" She asked, likely with a smirk under that mask.

"Bah, that's just a footnote compared to this," I joked. She giggled again, and I think leaned against me more than she was. Not that I was complaining.

"Hand it over, Vakarian," I heard Kaidan whisper behind me.

"Only lost because I'm used to Turians. And they don't normally stumble around like… whatever the hell they are," Garrus whispered back, grumpy.

I thought it better not to ask what they were talking about.

When we arrived back at the ship, walking through the cheering, hooting, and hollering crew, I left Tali in Chakwas care down in the med-bay, and followed Anderson back up to the comm room. Inside, I was surprised to see the Council. And-

"Udina, get the fuck off my ship."

"Comma-"

"Get. The. Fuck. Off. My. Ship. Or I will drag you off of it." It was then I noticed he had a black eye.

"Listen to him, Udina. He'll leave you with more than the black eye I did," Anderson suggested. He began grumbling but walked out and away.

"Commander-" Tevos began.

"Look, honestly, I'm still just as pissed as you three as I am at him. But considering everything else right now, I'll bite, I'll listen. So, just letting you know." The Councilors glanced amongst one another.

"We can certainly understand. We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth," Tevos tried again. Hm, staring off well.

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, and what remained of the Citadel fleet, might survive," Valern continued.

"There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women," Sparatus added.

"And the Council owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers," Tevos spoke up.

"Commander, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for," Valern nodded.

"While we cannot bring back the lives of those who sacrificed themselves, we can honor their memories through our actions," Sparatus put in yet another piece.

"The Alliance has shown that it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the Galaxy. You have proved your worth to join our ranks, and serve beside us on the Citadel Council," Tevos revealed. My eyes went wide. Well, that is big.

"Well, since I kicked Udina off, I suppose I'll do this for him. On behalf of the Alliance, on behalf of Humanity, we are honored by this privilege, and accept."

"Any recommendations to take your seat on the Council will be greatly appreciated, Commander," Tevos added. Well… I glanced at Anderson.

"David, I am so terribly sorry for what I'm about to do here. But… you would make a fantastic Councilor for Humanity and the Alliance. You have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and the determination to see it through to the end, done to the best of your abilities. And then some." There was one thing I wasn't telling him, not yet. Later, of course, but not in front of the Council. In the coming years, I need a friend on the Council, supporting me. I did have a bit of a rocky start with the Council, after all.

"John?" David asked, surprised.

"Look, even if you turn it down, don't want to accept, I do have one other recommendation. I recommend that Ambassador Donnel Udina be kept as fucking far away from the position as possible. He is absolutely scum, and more likely to serve his own interests more than Humanity's and the Galaxy's."

"I believe it to be an inspired choice," Tevos grinned. "We would welcome you with open arms, should you accept, Captain Anderson." David let out a deep breath.

"I feel like I should wait for Parliament to elect one…"

"Of course. In the end, however, we approve or disapprove the candidate. We shall inform your Parliament that we are willing to appoint you as Human Councilor as soon as possible, they will likely elect and agree quickly," Valern explained.

"Well… if they do elect me, then… I accept."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here we are guys! But, well, I'm not done with ME1 just yet. One or two more chapters, then a short break, and then ME2. Hope you like the thing I did with Saren, not just making post Virmire where he first appears as half Geth and all that shit. And the little thing of the theory of him being Vetra's dad. Links back to my Andromeda story. Anyways. I fly out for Florida Monday morning, and I'll be there with family for about a month. Fortunately, I'll still have the means to write scenes from in-game, so that won't disrupt schedule. However one week, will be a full family reunion that I won't have that ability, nor will I really want to do writing anyways. That week will be included within my break so long. And don't worry about the next one or two chapters to finish up ME1. As I don't need gameplay to help write them, they won't be hindered. Anyways, just that heads up. I'll still be able to upload on time on Monday. Hope you guys enjoyed, see ya in the next one!**


	36. Epilogue

**Commander John Shepard**

The Normandy and her crew had remained at the Citadel to aid in the reconstruction efforts, but we wouldn't, couldn't, be staying for long. We were still getting reports of Geth poking around our space that needed to be wiped out. And we still had a funeral to attend. I had provided a full report of both Illos and our encounter with Saren, including the recordings from our suit cams, to both the Council and the Alliance. As for the Citadel itself, bits of Sovereign were everywhere. Just absolutely everywhere, and that's ignoring the structural damage suffered by gunfire rather than exploding ships. Geth, Reaper, or Council races. I'm mostly glad that Mom's ship wasn't among the wreckage.

Hackett had some other information come to him that was quite interesting. The task force I'd later be leading against Cerberus had already found, and followed up on strange leads. A listening post in Alliance space had gone silent, and thanks to sightings of a Cerberus ship, they investigated, and found Rachni. When I first heard that nugget of information, I thought the Queen had betrayed me. But, later in the investigation, it was confirmed that the ship containing those Rachni had left before I arrived on Noveria. Anyways, they brought the listening post back online, located a distress call in a neighboring system from another Alliance team, one watching for Geth and pirates, and found more Rachni. They had even made a nest in a mine. The team took casualties, but rescued the remainder of the Alliance team, and learned that an automated supply ship had snuck the Rachni off. They followed its trail to an idle, inert transport ship, expectedly, overrun with the bugs. Armed with flamethrowers and riot shields, they cleared the ship out, and learned that Cerberus had purchased them from Binary Helix to use as soldiers. Obviously, it went wrong. It may be a dead end, for now, but we're learning more and more about them.

Now, we were en-route to Sirona. Ashley's home world. Where her dad is buried, where her family lives. At this point, it may go without saying that they were willing to invite the ground team, and myself. It would be a small service, but still that of a soldier. I'd be in my dress blues, as would Kaidan, Garrus had picked up his old formal attire, Liara didn't own anything more formal than dresses that are ill suited to funerals, but one of the ship crew had lended Liara her own dress blues. Tali obviously couldn't wear anything formal over her suit, but I had checked with the William's family, it would be alright. One of the reasons it was such a concern, was that Kaidan, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and myself would be carrying the casket from the Church and to its final resting place, right by her father. The only closer spot to him was reserved for her mother. Wrex was also helping move the casket. In his armor. I was afraid that must be an issue, but Wrex explained, to both myself, and Ashley's mother, that when a Krogan wears armor to the funeral of a comrade, which they rarely hold such ceremonies anyway, it means they're honoring the dead. An honor guard, of sorts.

Once the casket is placed, the priest would speak, he would finish, and then I'd fold up the flag, and present it to Ashley's mother. I don't believe I'd be giving a speech, or anyone, for that matter. But that of course doesn't mean I, and likely a few others, would still take the time to speak with her family. It wouldn't be fun, but… well, it's something that we have to do. At least our victory proves she didn't die in vain.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

"It's not right that it's empty…" Kaidan muttered. "I mean, I know there's not a body left to recover, but, still… It just feels wrong, an empty casket." The casket was a light brown, stained wood, currently draped in the Alliance's flag. Some Marines from Earth opt to have the flag of their birth country on it instead, or the Colonial ones, the Colonial flag. But Ashley? Her and her family give everything to the Alliance. It makes sense she'd want this.

"Yeah. Feels like there needs to be… something in there," I answered quietly. A side door opened, one of the Alliance soldiers here for the funeral stepped into the church. It wasn't a large one. Just a small and humble church for a relatively small town on one of the Alliance colonies.

"It's time." I nodded, and together, Kaidan and I took the front, Garrus and Liara the middle, Tali and Wrex, the back. We lifted the casket onto our respective shoulders, though Wrex held it a bit lower, so that the smaller of us, Tali and Liara, would still be carrying it. The soldier opened the main church doors for us. Noise greeted our ears on this sad, sunny day, in this green field lined with tombstones. The noise, was from a bagpipe, soon joined by others, and small drums. Amazing Grace. I think Ashley would be happy to have this be one of Earth's military traditions that the Alliance obliged her with. We followed the path that had been mapped out for us quietly, stoically. Garrus, Kaidan, and I were military. We were disciplined to be at least relatively stone faced for this. Wrex was just Krogan. Liara and Tali tried, but Liara didn't have the benefit of the mask. For me? It helped to just hum, very quietly, of course, along to the song. I may not have all the words memorized, but it's rhythm is rather iconic, and easy to follow. How sweet the sound…

We were coming up to her final resting place. Her family, and a few friends waited, standing a few feet in front of the grave. The priest stood besides, opposite of where we'd be coming from. While the Alliance procession, the bagpipes and drummers, stood just behind the grave. Black dresses and gowns, black suits and ties. We reached the first of the riflemen holding older rifles in their arms. Made of wood and metal, still firing old fashioned bullets, not mass accelerator rounds. There were three on each side, and at the end, each would ready their rifle, and fire three shots each into the air. I looked back at the family. The mother was crying, as was the youngest sister, Sarah. Abby and Lynn were holding it together. At least, on the outside. We reached the end of the march and lowered the casket in place. Once the priest finished, the casket would automatically be lowered into the ground. As we stood back at attention, Amazing Grace came to its close. After a brief pause, the priest, an older man, began.

"We are gathered here today…" I couldn't help but trail off. Not away from the funeral, of course not, but to my own thoughts. About her, about this. If I had told her when we first met that a Turian, Quarian, Asari, and Krogan would be helping carry the casket at her funeral, she'd probably have felt insulted. Or just thought I was making some really bad joke. Of course, I still remember how she acted around the non-humans at first. But that's not important anymore. She came around, she saw things differently. She became friends with them. She grew as a person. That's what's important. Then she gave her life for the mission. Gave her life for the Galaxy. I'm proud to have called her a part of my crew. A friend.

"We can take solace knowing she has found her peace." the Priest ended. That was my cue. Kaidan helped me lift the flag off the casket and fold it. Once finished, I took it, Kaidan saluted, and I stepped towards Ashley's mother. With tears lessening, she accepted the flag. My left hand moved to the top of the flag, and her hand, to gently pat it, my own silent condolences until we could speak later. She understood, took the flag, and held it close. I returned to position, and attention.

"Present, arms!" One of the marines shouted. They turned, readied their rifles, aimed them skyward. Three sets of shots rang out. The marines returned their rifles to their shoulder. The casket began to descend. We stood, waiting, until the casket was fully lowered. The soldiers began to take their leave, remaining in formation.

"Hard to believe she's really dead," Kaidan murmured.

"Were it so easy…" I whispered back.

* * *

 **Commander John Shepard**

We had spent the last two weeks following scout reports on Geth both within our borders, and right against them, still just barely in the Terminus. Most of our time was being spent in the traverse, however. So far, that was the one and only order, a standing order, from the Council. Understandably, this task was also taking priority in the Alliance as well. It is their own borders after all. Though I can't shake the feeling that my squad and I are just turning into overkill against them. There's fewer and fewer outposts, and they're becoming less and less defended. I suppose it helped that I have still been in contact with the task force going after Cerberus. They were searching, but it seems the organization was laying low.

Parliament had accepted Anderson's appointment to the Council, though a small faction had advocated for Udina to take his place. I think my recommendation and description of him however, discredited him. Parliament was mostly just trying to write up just how a Human Councilor would have Authority over the Council. Each race seems to do it differently. For the Asari, all she does is represent the will of her people and further their interests. She hardly influences her own government more than having her own opinions be valued. Whoever holds the Salarian's seat is also the head of one of their political parties, but for the Turians, whoever holds their seat works closely with the Primarch. In the Hierarchy, while the Primarch holds more Authority, the Councilor isn't that far behind. Still, as is obvious, each race's government has to follow the same rules and laws set by the Council as a whole.

As for Anderson himself, he was, at the moment, focusing on aiding reconstruction of the Citadel and Colonies that had been attacked during the Campaign against Saren. But he was also advocating for the Alliance to make up for the losses sustained by the fifth Fleet, something Hackett and other Military leaders were readily accepting, and there were also the additional ships that would be required to add to the Council fleets.

He had also told me personally that he planned to push hard for the construction of more ships for our navy, and a strong recruitment drive. He thinks they can use our victory against the Geth to inspire more to take up arms. Finally, he also explained that soon, he would start talking to the other Councilors about Humanity's place in the treaty of Farixen, which limits the number of Dreadnoughts the races can all maintain. The limits are all relative to the Turians, as the hierarchy is generally seen as Galactic peacekeepers, and the largest contributors to the Citadel defense fleet, for every five Dreadnaughts they construct, the other races with a seat are entitled to three. Obviously, that's the Asari, Salarians, and now us. Meanwhile, the other races, for every five Dreadnaughts the Turians have, are entitled to a single Dreadnaught. This includes every Council race, the ones that hold an embassy on the Citadel. They are required to sign for their place. This means that the Batarians and Quarians are not bound by the treaty. The Batarians by choice, the Quarians, a technicality as they were forced off the Citadel. The Krogan technically aren't bound by the treaty either, but they're already not allowed a navy, and don't even have the means to support one either.

Anderson wants to debate that, as the treaty was established before Humanity was on the Galactic stage, and like the Turians, we are a relatively militaristic society. Not as devout in it as the Turians, but certainly more so than the other Council races. He wants Humanity to hold the same place in the treaty as the Turians, and he believes that both contributing plenty of ships to the defense fleet, as well as the actions of both myself and the Alliance, especially during the battle of the Citadel, will help his case. He doesn't expect it to happen anytime soon, but he thinks he can make progress.

As for the crew, the day after the wake we held for Ashley after the funeral, Wrex announced that he was going back to Tuchanka. To try again. I offered for us to bring him there ourselves but turned out he already had arranged transport. I remember we clasped one another's forearms as he was leaving, wishing for me to hunt well. I had that Krogan's respect, and he had mine. He somewhat grudgingly accepted a hug from Tali, and even ruffled her… helmet? Hood? Telling her to remember what he taught her. And I was pleasantly surprised to see Garrus and Wrex also clasp forearms like Wrex and I did. Showing mutual respect between the two.

I had asked for Hackett to start looking around for some potential additions to the ground team. I was running low after all. At least Garrus, Tali, and Liara were staying around for now. Though Tali may well be taking her leave sooner rather than later. I may have been dreading the day. I suppose it just means that it's a good thing I haven't done much thinking about feelings. It would just make it that much worse. I sighed, rubbing my face as I sat in my quarters. I was armored, the others were armored as well, but not waiting in the Mako, or even the cargo bay. Not just yet. There should be a Geth outpost in this system, we were just looking for it. Maybe I should go up and see what-

The ship rocked violently.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

I need to go back to the Fleet soon. But I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave Shepard. I can't tell him, I need to let go, but I can't leave either. It's like I'm paralyzed with indecision. Maybe I should just follow the advice Ashley gave me, see what happens. But I can't not return to the Fleet either. I just can't abandon my people. I was waiting in the cargo bay for word on a mission, and, so, I pulled out the shotgun Shepard had given me. Something to remember him by…

I'll just think about it more later.

The same Ancestors damn thing I've been telling myself for two weeks.

The ship rocked violently, and alarms blared.

"What was that?!" I exclaimed.

"All crew, brace for impact! We are engaged with an unidentified vessel!" one of the ensigns in the crew spoke out on the intercom. Garrus, Kaidan, Liara and I ran to one of the grips attached to the sides of the elevator, stumbling as the ship rocked again. And then again. The others secured their helmets in case there was a hull breach. We were hit yet again just as Liara sealed hers and grabbed hold again. A hole appeared in the side of the cargo bay, but fortunately, on the opposite side. Our backs were to a wall, and the breach was on the other side of the elevator. Emergency systems quickly engaged to cut off the breach with weak kinetic barriers.

"I'm going to find Shepard!" I told the others. Already letting go to get to the elevator.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine," Garrus reassured.

"I don't care, I'm going," I shouted back, the elevator closing and going up. The alarms were still blaring. The elevator soon stopped, showing the crew level. There was smoke, and everything was lit by crimson emergency lights. I heard an explosion, and a scream. I heard fire. The way around left was blocked by debris, so I ran right, heading towards the sleeper pods. I saw Shepard trying to work a console, fixing wires and cables. Fully armored, and with his helmet on. Sealed. Good.

"Fire suppressions shot to hell. Trying to find some sort of workaround," Shepard called out through comms. The ship rocked yet again.

"Shepard, what's going on?" I questioned, grabbing hold of my pod.

"Don't know much more than you, but they detected us through our stealth drive," he revealed. "I already launched a distress beacon. All hands, abandon ship! I repeat, abandon ship!"

"No! I am not leaving my baby!" Joker exclaimed.

"Damnit, Joker, that's an order!" There wasn't a response. "Shit. Tali, go get to an escape pod. I'll get Joker, and then I'll join you all."

"I'm going with you," I persisted.

"Tali, I'll be fine," he reassured.

"I won't leave you…" I was on the brink of tears. He wrapped me in a hug.

"Tali, I promise you, I will be just fine. I just need to get Joker's bony little ass out of here. No one left behind," he whispered. He squeezed. I took a deep breath.

"Ok… Ok. I'll get to a pod."

"Thank you." I turned, glancing back, as he fiddled with a few more wires. I ran to follow the others to some of the escape pods on this deck. There, Chakwas. I climbed into the pod, the last one in. It was full now, and we launched. The Normandy was burning. The most advanced ship I had ever seen, going up in flames. And the ship destroying it? Massive. Seemed to use rocks as part of its armor. But I couldn't get a good look at it. Nor was I really trying. I saw other pods disengage, and we linked comms.

"Come on, Tali. Tell me you got out of there," Kaidan spoke, trying to find me.

"I'm here. In a pod with Dr. Chakwas. Shepard's going to get Joker, and then use the pod at the bridge," I explained.

"Good to hear. Garrus, Liara, Adams, and I are safe and sound." Kaidan informed. Good, that's good. Now, just to wait for Shepard…

"Come on… come on…" I murmured to myself. Oh no… the strange ship is turning around, and its main weapon, I assume, is starting to charge up. Glowing. It fired, impacting the ship by the bridge.

One more escape pod launched out.

"Shepard! Thank the Ancestors! Are you alright?"

There wasn't a response.

"Shepard! Please!"

"Is anyone there?" Oh no… no, no,

"We… we got separated by that last beam. I was in the pod, waiting for him, but… he launched it. He's still on board."

"Turn this thing around! We have to-"

The Normandy exploded.

"No! No! Keelah! He could still be out there! His suit was sealed, he could still be alive! We have to find him," I urged, banging against the viewport.

"I'll search for a signal. Matthews, pilot this shuttle around," Chakwas stated. Come on, come on, come on!

"Crew…" Shepard spoke quietly into the comms. Breathing slowly. "That last blast knocked me drifting and uh… I hit my head. Really dizzy right now… And uh… might have broken my air supply. I'm running on fumes here. Planets getting real close. I-"

"Shepard no! Just hold on a little longer! Please! We're coming! Where are you!" I demanded.

"Tali? Heh… I don't have that time. And uh… I just want you to know that… uh…" his words were being spaced a lot. "I…"

It went silent. I fell to my knees. Shepard was gone.

* * *

 **Tali' Zorah**

A relatively large assembly of people were gathered in the large room. This was Arcturus station. A military and political core of the Alliance. We were all here to say our goodbyes. I was broken. I was barely eating. Barely drinking. He was gone. He'd be alive if Joker hadn't tried to stay. A sentiment the pilot clearly feels, given he's only left the bar when Chakwas had to drag him out. I don't even know if I think Joker deserves to feel that way. Most Quarians would hold the same kind of commitments to their ship, and that should be respected.

But on the other hand, if not for that commitment, the man I have-had… feelings for is gone. And everyone's feeling it. Garrus is getting angry again. He lost a lot of friends when the Citadel was attacked, and now Shepard. Liara is getting quiet again, keeping to herself again. Honestly, I'm doing the same. Kaidan just seems… lost. Wrex couldn't make it, unable to leave his clan after just returning to it and reclaiming his position, but he had sent a message. Condolences, and the desire that if we ever find out who was responsible, we let him know. It seems we're all splitting up, going our separate ways after this. Shepard would find that sad, and that makes me feel even worse.

Anderson, despite being a Councilor now, had arrived a day after we had. The man was heartbroken. But I remember that when he came to see us, he hugged me, said he was sorry, and that I meant a lot to Shepard. I suppose I'll never know if it was the same way between us. Shepard's mother was already here when we arrived, as she was stationed in the Fifth Fleet around Arcturus anyway. We hadn't spoken to her yet. What could we say? What could I say? I just looked down at the floor and bottled it all up. After this, I need to return to my people, I can't let myself be a waste by allowing myself to feel this. I looked back up, just feeling… numb. Dead. I looked around at the large crowd. Soldiers, Alliance personnel. All these people admired him. I wonder what he'd think of knowing so many came to say farewell. No, stop it, Tali. You must stop thinking like this or you'll be a burden to the fleet.

Another empty casket rested on this raised platform. His crew, his friends, were allowed up on the platform to be close. The casket was wrapped in two flags. That of the Alliance, and a red, white, and blue flag, decorated with stars, representing the Earth country his parents were from. He was proud of both. The casket itself was on a conveyor belt, leading to an airlock. The casket would be gently released into the vacuum of space, an endless, undisturbed rest. Several ships orbiting Arcturus had their weapons pointed at the massive star, they would discharge their weapons into the star, much like the Marines at Ashley's funeral.

I heard a sniffle, looking to the side to see Shepard's mother, Hannah, wipe away another tear. Poor woman. First, she lost her husband, and now, her only child. I… damn it, I'm doing it again. I need to stop.

Admiral Hackett cleared his throat. He would be speaking first. Then Anderson, then Shepard's mother, and then, the casket would be released. I tuned out the Admiral's words. I couldn't allow myself to listen. No more tears, Tali. Father would demand you to be strong, to not cry, to not be so shaken up by the death of this… amazing man. Ancestors… why can't I stop?

A tear streaked down my face. And the floodgates opened.

I turned off my helmet's audio emulators, no one would hear me. And so long as I controlled my shaking, there wouldn't be any visual hints. This continued for what felt like years, until finally, struggling to remain strong, though not without tears of her own, Shepard's mother finished. A lone marine readied a brass instrument and blew into it. I did not pay attention to it. I couldn't. I just watched through tear-filled eyes as the casket entered the airlock, the atmosphere within decompressed, and it was allowed to drift out of the station. A large monitor showing the Alliance ships discharge three sets of three rounds. Straight to the sun. As soon as people began to leave, I hurried out myself, and went straight to my temporary quarters. I sobbed, curled up in my bed for a while longer. Once I had nothing left, I took several deep breaths, and made a call.

"Auntie Raan, I'm… I'm ready to come home."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright! This is the end of ME1! The funeral stuff in both ends of the chapter I had researched for, while also did some "head canons" for how the Alliance handles them. After all, union of all nations earth side, but have all the authority space-side. So, plenty of influence from other nations. Hence bagpipes with amazing grace for Ashley, both because I just couldn't get that specifically out of my head, and it fits her as it's churchy. For Shepard, a bugle playing the same song they do in American soldier funerals. Also, yes, the conversation between Kaidan and Shepard at the very end of Ashley's funeral was a reference to the end of Halo 3. I regret nothing. As for next uploads, for ME2, there won't be one Friday, Monday, or the following Friday. I should be able to get a chapter out the Monday that follows that, but don't be too surprised if not. Don't worry though. ME2 is what I've really been waiting for. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see y'all in "two years"**


End file.
